pubescent

/pjʊˈbɛs(ə)nt/

//pjʊˈbɛs(ə)nt// adj

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

"pubescent" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pubescent” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,425. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,425
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - At or just after the age of puberty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pubescent · pubescent · English

pubescent · rank #44,425 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,425
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH provident

Nearest frequency peer: provident (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pubescent”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pubescent” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pubescent
PropertyValue
Headwordpubescent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pjʊˈbɛs(ə)nt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#44,425
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pubescent”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).pubescentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “provident” (#44,424), “proportionately” (#44,423), “proportionality” (#44,422). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pubescent” is #44,425. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around pubescent (IPA /pjʊˈbɛs(ə)nt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #44,425 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for pubescent, with forms such as "pbuescent", "ppubescent", and "pubbescent". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French pubescent, from Latin pubescens (“to become hairy, downy, or an adult”). The correct English form is pubescent, spelled P-U-B-E-S-C-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    At or just after the age of puberty.
  2. 2
    Covered with down or fine hairs.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xi […] the pubescent male brain isn't noted for its consistent engagement with reality […]
  2. The 18-year-old [Justin] Bieber can’t quite pull off the “adult” thing just yet: His voice may have dropped a bit since the days of “Baby,” but it still mostly registers as “angelic,” and veers toward a pubescent whine at times.

Etymology

From Middle French pubescent, from Latin pubescens (“to become hairy, downy, or an adult”).

Synonyms

nuptialpubescent

Antonyms

presexual

This word in other languages

pubescente(Español)pubère(Français)geschlechtsreif(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pbuescent
  • ppubescent
  • pubbescent
  • pubecsent
  • pubesccent
  • pubescennt
  • pubescentt
  • pubescetn
  • pubescnet
  • pubesecnt
  • pubesscent
  • pubsecent
  • puebscent
  • upbescent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pbuescent2ppubescent1pubbescent1pubecsent2pubesccent1pubescennt1pubescentt1pubescetn2
Edit distance from "pubescent"

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 "pubescent"?
"pubescent" is spelled P-U-B-E-S-C-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /pjʊˈbɛs(ə)nt/.
What does "pubescent" mean?
As an adjective, "pubescent" means: At or just after the age of puberty.
What are common misspellings of "pubescent"?
Common misspellings include "pbuescent", "ppubescent", "pubbescent", "pubecsent", "pubesccent". The correct spelling is "pubescent".
How do you pronounce "pubescent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pubescent" is /pjʊˈbɛs(ə)nt/. 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 "pubescent"?
From Middle French pubescent, from Latin pubescens (“to become hairy, downy, or an adult”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pubescent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

provident#44,424postnatal#44,412recursion#44,443Pillsbury#44,404

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

pampering14 variantsscheduler14 variantsshakedown14 variantsshamefully14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list