misfit
/ˈmɪs.fɪt/noun, verb
misfit is spelled M-I-S-F-I-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, misfit means “A failure to fit well; unsuitability, disparity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of misfit is misfits.
How many letters and syllables are in misfit?
| Letters | 6: M-I-S-F-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is misfit?
Misfit appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce misfit?
- UK /ˈmɪs.fɪt/
As a verb (“To fit badly”): /mɪsˈfɪt/.
Misfit has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-misfit.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-misfit2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of misfit
- misfits plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- misfitting participle, present
- misfitted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does misfit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicAn ill-fitting garment.
- 2
A failure to fit well; unsuitability, disparity.
- 3
A badly adjusted person; someone unsuitable or set apart because of their habits, behaviour etc.
Just to be on the safe side, the Kremlin has also banned any of Putin's serious critics from standing. Three unelectable misfits have been allowed to mount token challenges.
verb
- 1
To fit badly.
His suit was misfitted and looked awkward.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Misfit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | esfarrapado , desajustado , encaixar mal |
| Spanish | inadaptado , sentar mal, encajar mal, desentonar , desajuste, desentono |
| French | inadapté |
| German | Nichtangepasster, Nichtangepasste, Sonderling, Aussenseiter, Unangepasster, Außenseiter |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does misfit come from?
From mis- + fit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).