self-critical
/sɛlfˈkɹɪtɪkəl/
"self-critical" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“self-critical” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Capable of criticizing oneself; able to find mistakes and possibilities for improvement in one's own work.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | self-critical |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /sɛlfˈkɹɪtɪkəl/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “self-critical” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
self-critical is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /sɛlfˈkɹɪtɪkəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Capable of criticizing oneself; able to find mistakes and possibilities for improvement in one's own work.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for self-critical, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From self- + critical. The correct English form is self-critical, spelled S-E-L-F---C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L.
Definition
- 1Capable of criticizing oneself; able to find mistakes and possibilities for improvement in one's own work.
Etymology
From self- + critical.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “self-critical”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-F---C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /sɛlfˈkɹɪtɪkəl/ (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
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.