Jewish

/ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ/

//ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ// adj

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

"jewish" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Jewish” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,450. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,450
frequency rank, English
4,872
“J” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Following the religion of Judaism.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Jewish vs Jews
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Jewish
PropertyValue
HeadwordJewish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,450
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Jewish” 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). Jewish lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Jewish (IPA /ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,450 among 4,872 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Jewish, with forms such as "ejwish", "jeiwsh", and "jewihs". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Jews", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Jew + -ish. Compare Middle English Judewissh (“Jewish”), Old English Iūdēisċ (“Jewish”), Dutch joodsch, joods (“Jewish”), German jüdisch (“Jewish”), Danish jødisk (“Jewish”), Swedish judisk (“Jewish”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (judaiwisks, “Jewish”)… The correct English form is Jewish, spelled J-E-W-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Following the religion of Judaism.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to Jews, their ethnicities or cultures.
  3. 3
    Greedy, miserly.
  4. 4
    Yiddish.

Etymology

From Jew + -ish. Compare Middle English Judewissh (“Jewish”), Old English Iūdēisċ (“Jewish”), Dutch joodsch, joods (“Jewish”), German jüdisch (“Jewish”), Danish jødisk (“Jewish”), Swedish judisk (“Jewish”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (judaiwisks, “Jewish”). See also Yiddish.

This word in other languages

judío(Español)juif(Français)jüdisch(Deutsch)judaico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ejwish
  • jeiwsh
  • jewihs
  • jewishh
  • jewissh
  • jewsih
  • jewwish
  • jjewish
  • jweish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Jewish - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ejwish2jeiwsh2jewihs2jewishh1jewissh1jewsih2jewwish1jjewish1
Edit distance from "Jewish"

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 "Jewish"?
"Jewish" is spelled J-E-W-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ/.
What does "Jewish" mean?
As an adjective, "Jewish" means: Following the religion of Judaism.
What words are commonly confused with "Jewish"?
"Jewish" is commonly confused with "Jews". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Jewish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Jewish" is /ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ/. 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 "Jewish"?
From Jew + -ish. Compare Middle English Judewissh (“Jewish”), Old English Iūdēisċ (“Jewish”), Dutch joodsch, joods (“Jewish”), German jüdisch (“Jewish”), Danish jødisk (“Jewish”), Swedish judisk (“Jewish”), Gothic 𐌾𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌺𐍃 (judaiwisks,... 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 “Jewish”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is J-E-W-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈd͡ʒuː.ɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Jews” - see the side-by-side comparison. Jewish vs Jews
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list