well-behaved

/wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/

//wɛlbɪˈheɪvd// adj

"well-behaved" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“well-behaved” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having good manners and acting properly; conforming to standards of good behaviour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-well-behaved · well-behaved · English

well-behaved · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "W" 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.

Key facts for well-behaved
PropertyValue
Headwordwell-behaved
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “well-behaved” in English

well-behavedranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

well-behaved is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for well-behaved, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From well + behaved. The correct English form is well-behaved, spelled W-E-L-L---B-E-H-A-V-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having good manners and acting properly; conforming to standards of good behaviour.
  2. 2
    Having intuitive, easy to handle properties, especially: having a finite derivative of all orders at all points, and having no discontinuities.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how well-behaved appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The boy is well-behaved and is seldom naughty.
  2. How bright were the fire-irons; how clean the Dutch riles round the old-fashioned fire-place, how well-behaved even the cat.

Etymology

From well + behaved.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "well-behaved"?
"well-behaved" is spelled W-E-L-L---B-E-H-A-V-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/.
What does "well-behaved" mean?
As an adjective, "well-behaved" means: Having good manners and acting properly; conforming to standards of good behaviour.
How do you pronounce "well-behaved"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "well-behaved" is /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/. 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 "well-behaved"?
From well + behaved. 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list