pretty

/ˈpɹɪt.i/

//ˈpɹɪt.i// adj

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

"pretty" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pretty” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #416 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#416
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pleasant to the sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pretty vs prey
67% similar
pretty vs putty
67% similar
pretty vs petty
83% similar

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

Key facts for pretty
PropertyValue
Headwordpretty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɹɪt.i/
Letters6
Frequency rank#416
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pretty” 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). pretty 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 pretty is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹɪt.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #416 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for pretty, with forms such as "pertty", "ppretty", and "prettyy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "prey", "putty", "petty", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English prety, preti, praty, prati, from Old English prættiġ (“tricky, crafty, sly, cunning, wily, astute”), from Proto-West Germanic *prattug, from Proto-Germanic *prattugaz (“boastful, sly, slick, deceitful, tricky, cunning”), corresponding to… The correct English form is pretty, spelled P-R-E-T-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pleasant to the sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children.
  2. 2
    Of objects or things: nice-looking, appealing.
  3. 3
    Fine-looking; only superficially attractive; initially appealing but having little substance; see petty.
  4. 4
    Effeminate.
  5. 5
    Cunning; clever, skilful.
  6. 6
    Moderately large; considerable.
  7. 7
    Excellent, commendable, pleasing; fitting or proper (of actions, thoughts etc.).
  8. 8
    Awkward, unpleasant, bad.
  9. 9
    Matching commonly accepted principles of formatting and syntax, for the sake of readability.

Etymology

From Middle English prety, preti, praty, prati, from Old English prættiġ (“tricky, crafty, sly, cunning, wily, astute”), from Proto-West Germanic *prattug, from Proto-Germanic *prattugaz (“boastful, sly, slick, deceitful, tricky, cunning”), corresponding to prat (“trick”) + -y. Doublet of pratty. Cognate with Dutch prettig (“nice, pleasant”), Low German prettig (“funny”), Icelandic prettugur (“deceitful, tricky”). For the semantic development, compare canny, clever, cute.

Antonyms

ugly

This word in other languages

listo(Español)joli(Français)anmutig(Deutsch)bonito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pertty,ppretty,prettyy,prety,pretyt,prretty,prtety,rpetty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pertty2ppretty1prettyy1prety1pretyt2prretty1prtety2rpetty2
Edit distance from "pretty"

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 "pretty"?
"pretty" is spelled P-R-E-T-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɪt.i/.
What does "pretty" mean?
As an adjective, "pretty" means: Pleasant to the sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children.
What words are commonly confused with "pretty"?
"pretty" is commonly confused with "prey", "putty", "petty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pretty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pretty" is /ˈpɹɪt.i/. 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 "pretty"?
From Middle English prety, preti, praty, prati, from Old English prættiġ (“tricky, crafty, sly, cunning, wily, astute”), from Proto-West Germanic *prattug, from Proto-Germanic *prattugaz (“boastful, sly, slick, deceitful, tricky, cunning”), corres... 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 “pretty”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-E-T-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɹɪt.i/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “prey” - see the side-by-side comparison. pretty vs prey
  • 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