self-satisfied

adj

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

The verdict

“self-satisfied” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Satisfied with oneself, especially over-satisfied; smug; slightly arrogant.

Key facts for self-satisfied
PropertyValue
Headwordself-satisfied
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “self-satisfied” sits in English frequency

self-satisfied falls 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for self-satisfied is 14 letters long, classified as an adjective. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Satisfied with oneself, especially over-satisfied; smug; slightly arrogant.".

Zero misspellings are on record for self-satisfied in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. 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- + satisfied. The correct English form is self-satisfied, spelled S-E-L-F---S-A-T-I-S-F-I-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Satisfied with oneself, especially over-satisfied; smug; slightly arrogant.

Etymology

From self- + satisfied.

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-satisfied"?
"self-satisfied" is spelled S-E-L-F---S-A-T-I-S-F-I-E-D.
What does "self-satisfied" mean?
As an adjective, "self-satisfied" means: Satisfied with oneself, especially over-satisfied; smug; slightly arrogant.
What is the origin of the word "self-satisfied"?
From self- + satisfied. 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.

Using “self-satisfied”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-F---S-A-T-I-S-F-I-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list