materialistic

/məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.tɪk/

//məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.tɪk// adj

"materialistic" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“materialistic” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,366 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#29,366
frequency rank, English
13
letters
19
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Being overly concerned with material possessions and wealth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

materialistic vs materialist
85% similar

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

Key facts for materialistic
PropertyValue
Headwordmaterialistic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.tɪk/
Letters13
Frequency rank#29,366
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “materialistic” 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). materialistic lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for materialistic is 13 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.tɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,366 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for materialistic, with forms such as "amterialistic", "maetrialistic", and "mateiralistic". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "materialist", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From material + -istic. The correct English form is materialistic, spelled M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L-I-S-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Being overly concerned with material possessions and wealth.
  2. 2
    Synonym of materialist, of or concerning materialism.

Etymology

From material + -istic.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amterialistic,maetrialistic,mateiralistic,materailistic,materiailstic,materialisitc,materialisstic,materialistci,materialisticc,materialisttic,materialitsic,materiallistic,materialsitic,materilaistic,materrialistic,matreialistic,matterialistic,mmaterialistic,mtaerialistic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of materialistic - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amterialistic2maetrialistic2mateiralistic2materailistic2materiailstic2materialisitc2materialisstic1materialistci2
Edit distance from "materialistic"

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 "materialistic"?
"materialistic" is spelled M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L-I-S-T-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.tɪk/.
What does "materialistic" mean?
As an adjective, "materialistic" means: Being overly concerned with material possessions and wealth.
What words are commonly confused with "materialistic"?
"materialistic" is commonly confused with "materialist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "materialistic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "materialistic" is /məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.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 "materialistic"?
From material + -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.

Using “materialistic”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L-I-S-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /məˌtɪəɹ.i.əˈlɪs.tɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “materialist” - see the side-by-side comparison. materialistic vs materialist
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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