guesstimate

Name: guesstimate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɡɛs.tə.mət/

//ˈɡɛs.tə.mət// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“guesstimate” is uncommon English (frequency #94,915 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,915
frequency rank, English: 18,276
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An estimate that is hardly any better than a guess, often because it is based on insufficient or unreliable data.

Key facts for guesstimate
Property	Value
Headword	guesstimate
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɡɛs.tə.mət/
Letters	11
Frequency rank	#94,915
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “guesstimate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). guesstimate lands here:

#94,915

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

guesstimate is uncommon English at frequency #94,915 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡɛs.tə.mət/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An estimate that is hardly any better than a guess, often because it is based on insufficient or unreliable data.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for guesstimate in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of guess + estimate. The correct English form is guesstimate, spelled G-U-E-S-S-T-I-M-A-T-E.

Definition

1
An estimate that is hardly any better than a guess, often because it is based on insufficient or unreliable data.

Etymology

Blend of guess + estimate.

This word in other languages

conjetura(Español)au doigt mouillé(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "guesstimate"?

"guesstimate" is spelled G-U-E-S-S-T-I-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɛs.tə.mət/.

What does "guesstimate" mean?

As a noun, "guesstimate" means: An estimate that is hardly any better than a guess, often because it is based on insufficient or unreliable data.

How do you pronounce "guesstimate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "guesstimate" is /ˈɡɛs.tə.mət/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "guesstimate"?

Blend of guess + estimate. See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “guesstimate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is G-U-E-S-S-T-I-M-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɡɛs.tə.mət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.