peckish

/ˈpɛk.ɪʃ/

//ˈpɛk.ɪʃ// adj

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

"peckish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“peckish” is uncommon English (frequency #92,987 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,987
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mildly hungry

Key facts for peckish
PropertyValue
Headwordpeckish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɛk.ɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#92,987
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “peckish” 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). peckish lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

peckish is uncommon English at frequency #92,987 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈpɛk.ɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for peckish in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From peck (verb) + -ish. From late 18th century. The correct English form is peckish, spelled P-E-C-K-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    mildly hungry
  2. 2
    irritable; crotchety

Etymology

From peck (verb) + -ish. From late 18th century.

This word in other languages

hungrig(Deutsch)

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 "peckish"?
"peckish" is spelled P-E-C-K-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛk.ɪʃ/.
What does "peckish" mean?
As an adjective, "peckish" means: mildly hungry
How do you pronounce "peckish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "peckish" is /ˈpɛk.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 "peckish"?
From peck (verb) + -ish. From late 18th century. 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 “peckish”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-C-K-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɛk.ɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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