splenetic
/spləˈnɛtɪk/
"splenetic" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“splenetic” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bad-tempered, irritable, peevish, spiteful, habitually angry.
Corpus desk
Index EN-splenetic · splenetic · English
splenetic · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 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 | splenetic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /spləˈnɛtɪk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “splenetic” in English
Rare enough to double-check
splenetic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /spləˈnɛtɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for splenetic in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective form of spleen, borrowed from Late Latin spleneticus, from Latin splen. Anger was traditionally believed to originate from the fluids of the spleen. The correct English form is splenetic, spelled S-P-L-E-N-E-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1Bad-tempered, irritable, peevish, spiteful, habitually angry.
- 2Related to the spleen.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how splenetic appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
A sect, whose chief devotion lies / In odd perverse antipathies; / […] / More peevish, cross, and splenetick, / Than dog distract, or monkey sick.
Horace seems to have purg'd himself from those Splenetick Reflections in those Odes and Epodes, before he undertook the Noble Work of Satires; which were properly so call'd.
Etymology
The adjective form of spleen, borrowed from Late Latin spleneticus, from Latin splen. Anger was traditionally believed to originate from the fluids of the spleen.
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.