masochistic

/ˌmæ.səˈkɪs.tɪk/

//ˌmæ.səˈkɪs.tɪk// adj

"masochistic" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“masochistic” is uncommon English (frequency #51,844 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,844
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Deriving (especially sexual) pleasure from abuse, being punished, or dominated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-masochistic · masochistic · English

masochistic · rank #51,844 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,844
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH McCarron

Nearest frequency peer: McCarron (+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 “masochistic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for masochistic
PropertyValue
Headwordmasochistic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌmæ.səˈkɪs.tɪk/
Letters11
Frequency rank#51,844
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “masochistic” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).masochisticfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “McCarron” (#51,846), “Manx” (#51,841), “McCloud” (#51,847). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “masochistic” is #51,844. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

masochistic is uncommon English at frequency #51,844 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌmæ.səˈkɪs.tɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for masochistic in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Leopold von Sacher-Masoch + -istic. The correct English form is masochistic, spelled M-A-S-O-C-H-I-S-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deriving (especially sexual) pleasure from abuse, being punished, or dominated.
  2. 2
    Behavior of someone who puts up with teasing.

Etymology

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch + -istic.

This word in other languages

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 "masochistic"?
"masochistic" is spelled M-A-S-O-C-H-I-S-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmæ.səˈkɪs.tɪk/.
What does "masochistic" mean?
As an adjective, "masochistic" means: Deriving (especially sexual) pleasure from abuse, being punished, or dominated.
How do you pronounce "masochistic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "masochistic" is /ˌmæ.səˈkɪs.tɪk/. 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 "masochistic"?
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch + -istic. 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 "masochistic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list