Washingtonian

/ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/

//ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“Washingtonian” is uncommon English (frequency #74,640 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,640
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of, or pertaining to, the U.S. state of Washington or its culture.

Key facts for Washingtonian
PropertyValue
HeadwordWashingtonian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#74,640
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Washingtonian” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Washingtonian lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Washingtonian is uncommon English at frequency #74,640 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Washingtonian, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Washington + -ian. The correct English form is Washingtonian, spelled W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, or pertaining to, the U.S. state of Washington or its culture.
  2. 2
    Of, or pertaining to, Washington, D.C., or its culture.
  3. 3
    Of, or pertaining to, the life, values, or presidential administration of George Washington.

Etymology

From Washington + -ian.

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 "Washingtonian"?
"Washingtonian" is spelled W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/.
What does "Washingtonian" mean?
As an adjective, "Washingtonian" means: Of, or pertaining to, the U.S. state of Washington or its culture.
How do you pronounce "Washingtonian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Washingtonian" is /ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/. 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 "Washingtonian"?
From Washington + -ian. 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 “Washingtonian”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N-I-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌwɒʃɪŋˈtəʊnɪ.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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