well-behaved
/wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/
"well-behaved" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“well-behaved” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having good manners and acting properly; conforming to standards of good behaviour.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | well-behaved |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “well-behaved” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for well-behaved is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Having good manners and acting properly; conforming to standards of good behaviour.
- 2Having intuitive, easy to handle properties, especially: having a finite derivative of all orders at all points, and having no discontinuities.
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
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Using “well-behaved”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-E-L-L---B-E-H-A-V-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /wɛlbɪˈheɪvd/ (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
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.