solicitude
/səˈlɪsɪˌt(j)uːd/
"solicitude" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“solicitude” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being solicitous; uneasiness of mind occasioned by fear of evil or desire for good; anxiety.
Corpus desk
Index EN-solicitude · solicitude · English
solicitude · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-5 5 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 | solicitude |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /səˈlɪsɪˌt(j)uːd/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “solicitude” in English
Rare enough to double-check
solicitude is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /səˈlɪsɪˌt(j)uːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for solicitude, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English solicitude, from Old French sollicitude, from Latin sollicitūdō (“anxiety”), from sollicitus, solicitus (“anxious, solicitous”). See solicitous. The correct English form is solicitude, spelled S-O-L-I-C-I-T-U-D-E.
Definition
- 1The state of being solicitous; uneasiness of mind occasioned by fear of evil or desire for good; anxiety.
- 2Special or pronounced concern or attention.
- 3A cause of anxiety or concern.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how solicitude appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The familiarity of Sydney Smith’s manner does not consist merely in his style ; indeed, the terseness and brilliancy of his diction, though not at all artificial in appearance, could not have been attained without labor and solicitude ;—but it is the result of the blunt, fearless, severe, yet good-humored, nature of the man.
Also the triuialle of the vertues theologicalle and quadriuialle of the cardinalle vertues, to comprehende the knowlege of whom oure insufficience sufficethe not, withowte the sollicitude of writers scholde transfude to vs the memory of thynges of antiquite.
Etymology
From Middle English solicitude, from Old French sollicitude, from Latin sollicitūdō (“anxiety”), from sollicitus, solicitus (“anxious, solicitous”). See solicitous.
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.