self-control
/ˌsɛlf kənˈtɹoʊl/
"self-control" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“self-control” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability to control one's desires and impulses.
Corpus desk
Index EN-self-control · self-control · English
self-control · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 12 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | self-control |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌsɛlf kənˈtɹoʊl/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “self-control” in English
Rare enough to double-check
self-control is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌsɛlf kənˈtɹoʊl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The ability to control one's desires and impulses.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for self-control, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From self- + control. The correct English form is self-control, spelled S-E-L-F---C-O-N-T-R-O-L.
Definition
- 1The ability to control one's desires and impulses.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how self-control appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Near-synonym: willpower
A review of addiction research, published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, suggests mindful meditation strengthens self-control in smokers, even among those smokers who haven’t set an intention to quit.
Etymology
From self- + control.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.