middlesome

adj

"middlesome" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“middlesome” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterised or marked by moderation; tending toward the middle; intermediate; middling; average

Corpus desk

Index EN-middlesome · middlesome · English

middlesome · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for middlesome
PropertyValue
Headwordmiddlesome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “middlesome” in English

middlesomeranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

middlesome is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Characterised or marked by moderation; tending toward the middle; intermediate; middling; average".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for middlesome, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From middle + -some. The correct English form is middlesome, spelled M-I-D-D-L-E-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characterised or marked by moderation; tending toward the middle; intermediate; middling; average

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Necessity of having one to assist him in measuring his Lines with the Chain, as oft as he would practise his Skill, or get more; and the exposing of his Unreadiness to the View of middlesome People, while he is yet raw and unexperienc'd, as every one must needs be at first: Both which may in a good measure be avoided by this easy Knack.
  2. Frequent and middlesome interference by the politician with details of day-today administration will not only hamper smooth working of government but also shake the morale of the Civil Servants. A.D. Gorwala in his Report on Public Administration in India refers to the following instance.

Etymology

From middle + -some.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "middlesome"?
"middlesome" is spelled M-I-D-D-L-E-S-O-M-E.
What does "middlesome" mean?
As an adjective, "middlesome" means: Characterised or marked by moderation; tending toward the middle; intermediate; middling; average
What is the origin of the word "middlesome"?
From middle + -some. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list