irascible

/ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl/

//ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"irascible" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“irascible” is uncommon English (frequency #67,540 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,540
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-irascible · irascible · English

irascible · rank #67,540 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,540
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH iru

Nearest frequency peer: iru (+2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “irascible”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “irascible” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for irascible
PropertyValue
Headwordirascible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#67,540
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “irascible” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).irasciblefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “iru” (#67,542), “intransigent” (#67,536), “iwa” (#67,544). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “irascible” is #67,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

irascible is uncommon English at frequency #67,540 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

irascible has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, from Old French irascible, from Late Latin īrāscibilis, from Latin īrāscī (“to be angry, enraged”) + -bilis. The correct English form is irascible, spelled I-R-A-S-C-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.
  2. 2
    Relating to the irascible passions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how irascible appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The divine Plato, whose doctrines are not sufficiently attended to by philosophers of the present age, allows to every man three souls—one, immortal and rational, seated in the brain, that it may overlook and regulate the body—a second consisting of the surly and irascible passions, which like belligerent powers lie encamped around the heart[…]
  2. Like some poor devils ashore that happen to know an irascible great man, they make distant unobtrusive salutations to him in the street, lest if they pursued the acquaintance further, they might receive a summary thump for their presumption.

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French irascible, from Late Latin īrāscibilis, from Latin īrāscī (“to be angry, enraged”) + -bilis.

This word in other languages

irascible(Español)irascible(Français)aufbrausend(Deutsch)irritável(Português)

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 "irascible"?
"irascible" is spelled I-R-A-S-C-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl/.
What does "irascible" mean?
As an adjective, "irascible" means: Easily provoked to outbursts of anger; irritable.
How do you pronounce "irascible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "irascible" is /ɪˈɹæs.ɪ.bəl/. 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 "irascible"?
From Middle English, from Old French irascible, from Late Latin īrāscibilis, from Latin īrāscī (“to be angry, enraged”) + -bilis. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "irascible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inculcate#67,527jockeying#67,556immensity#67,522hyperloop#67,515

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list