righteous

/ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/

//ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“righteous” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,663. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,663
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Free from sin or guilt.

Corpus desk

Index EN-righteous · righteous · English

righteous · rank #9,663 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,663
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH ribs

Nearest frequency peer: ribs (-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 “righteous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “righteous” 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 righteous
PropertyValue
Headwordrighteous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,663
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “righteous”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).righteouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “ribs” (#9,662), “rivalry” (#9,664), “Rosa” (#9,665). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “righteous” is #9,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around righteous (IPA /ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,663 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for righteous, with forms such as "irghteous", "rgihteous", and "rigghteous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtwīs (“righteous, just”), corresponding to right + -wise (with assimilation of second element to -ous), or to right + wise (“way, manner”). … The correct English form is righteous, spelled R-I-G-H-T-E-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Free from sin or guilt.
  2. 2
    Moral and virtuous, perhaps to the point of sanctimony.
  3. 3
    Justified morally.
  4. 4
    Awesome; great.
  5. 5
    Major; large; significant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bolde as a lyon.
  2. Human beings should take a righteous path, and so should art. We should promote kindness and beauty through art.

Etymology

From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtwīs (“righteous, just”), corresponding to right + -wise (with assimilation of second element to -ous), or to right + wise (“way, manner”). Cognate with Scots richtwis (“righteous”), Old High German rehtwīsic (“righteous, just”), Icelandic réttvíss (“righteous, just”). Compare also thefteous, mighteous.

This word in other languages

inmaculado(Español)juste(Français)rechtschaffen(Deutsch)inocente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • irghteous
  • rgihteous
  • rigghteous
  • righetous
  • righhteous
  • righteosu
  • righteouss
  • righteuos
  • rightoeus
  • rightteous
  • rigtheous
  • rihgteous
  • rrighteous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of righteous - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

irghteous2rgihteous2rigghteous1righetous2righhteous1righteosu2righteouss1righteuos2
Edit distance from "righteous"

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 "righteous"?
"righteous" is spelled R-I-G-H-T-E-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/.
What does "righteous" mean?
As an adjective, "righteous" means: Free from sin or guilt.
What are common misspellings of "righteous"?
Common misspellings include "irghteous", "rgihteous", "rigghteous", "righetous", "righhteous". The correct spelling is "righteous".
How do you pronounce "righteous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "righteous" is /ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/. 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 "righteous"?
From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtwīs (“righteous, just”), corresponding to right + -wise (with assimilation of second element to -ous), or to right + wise (“way, ... 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 "righteous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

primitive#9,651performer#9,646twentieth#9,683unrelated#9,685

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

restrict13 variantsmicrowave13 variantsweaknesses13 variantsfletcher13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list