self-criticism

/ˌsɛlfˈkɹɪtəˌsɪzəm/

//ˌsɛlfˈkɹɪtəˌsɪzəm// noun

"self-criticism" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“self-criticism” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Criticism of oneself.

Corpus desk

Index EN-self-criticism · self-criticism · English

self-criticism · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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.

Key facts for self-criticism
PropertyValue
Headwordself-criticism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌsɛlfˈkɹɪtəˌsɪzəm/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “self-criticism” in English

self-criticismfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

self-criticism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌsɛlfˈkɹɪtəˌsɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for self-criticism, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. 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 self- + criticism. The correct English form is self-criticism, spelled S-E-L-F---C-R-I-T-I-C-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Criticism of oneself.
  2. 2
    A practice of confessing and criticizing one's real or imagined transgressions in public settings, especially in East Asia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to commit self-criticism
  2. ... commit self - criticism and allow other people to criticize him . If we do all these things , then there is hope and there is a future for Marxism . The most important thing is consistency . If you make a promise you must keep it[…]

Etymology

From self- + criticism.

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

How do you spell "self-criticism"?
"self-criticism" is spelled S-E-L-F---C-R-I-T-I-C-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɛlfˈkɹɪtəˌsɪzəm/.
What does "self-criticism" mean?
As a noun, "self-criticism" means: Criticism of oneself.
How do you pronounce "self-criticism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "self-criticism" is /ˌsɛlfˈkɹɪtəˌsɪzəm/. 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 "self-criticism"?
From self- + criticism. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list