selfish
/ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/
"selfish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“selfish” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,009 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #6,009
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | selfish |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #6,009 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “selfish” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for selfish is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,009 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for selfish, with forms such as "eslfish", "seflish", and "selffish". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "shellfish", "selfishly", "selfie", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From self + -ish. Compare Danish selvisk (“selfish”), Swedish självisk (“selfish”). The correct English form is selfish, spelled S-E-L-F-I-S-H.
Definition
- 1Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making.
- 2Having excessive or exclusive regard and concern for one's own well-being, profit or pleasure, with little or no consideration for others.
- 3Of video game characters: relying on their own actions and capabilities to be effective in the game, rather than on other characters.
- 4Related to or equivalent to a selfish gene; best understood as existing to preserve and replicate itself in competition with other entities at the same level of existence, rather than at the level of the individual or population containing it.
Etymology
From self + -ish. Compare Danish selvisk (“selfish”), Swedish självisk (“selfish”).
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eslfish,seflish,selffish,selfihs,selfishh,selfissh,selfsih,selifsh,sellfish,slefish,sselfish
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of selfish - 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.
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 "selfish"?
What does "selfish" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "selfish"?
How do you pronounce "selfish"?
What is the origin of the word "selfish"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “selfish”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “shellfish” - see the side-by-side comparison. selfish vs shellfish
- 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.