waspish
/ˈwɑ.spɪʃ/adjective
waspish is spelled W-A-S-P-I-S-H: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, waspish means “Suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in waspish?
| Letters | 7: W-A-S-P-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 26 million words; the 154,067th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is waspish?
Waspish appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce waspish?
- UK /ˈwɒs.pɪʃ/
- US /ˈwɑ.spɪʃ/
Waspish has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-waspish.ogg, En-au-waspish.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of waspish
- more waspish comparative
- most waspish superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does waspish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Suggestive of the behaviour of a wasp.
- 2
Spiteful or irascible.
adjective
- 1
Suggestive of the behaviour of a WASP.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Waspish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense spiteful or irascible:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | grincheux |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does waspish come from?
From wasp + -ish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).