whatsitsname

noun

"whatsitsname" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“whatsitsname” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - Any object whose name one does not know or cannot remember or immediately bring to mind.

Corpus desk

Index EN-whatsitsname · whatsitsname · English

whatsitsname · 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 whatsitsname
PropertyValue
Headwordwhatsitsname
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “whatsitsname” in English

whatsitsnamesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

whatsitsname is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any object whose name one does not know or cannot remember or immediately bring to mind.".

whatsitsname has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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 what's + its + name. The correct English form is whatsitsname, spelled W-H-A-T-S-I-T-S-N-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any object whose name one does not know or cannot remember or immediately bring to mind.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hey, hand me the whatitsname, will you? I need to tighten the doodah on this thingummybob.
  2. Don’t forget to feed whatsitsname.

Etymology

From what's + its + name.

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 "whatsitsname"?
"whatsitsname" is spelled W-H-A-T-S-I-T-S-N-A-M-E.
What does "whatsitsname" mean?
As a noun, "whatsitsname" means: Any object whose name one does not know or cannot remember or immediately bring to mind.
What is the origin of the word "whatsitsname"?
From what's + its + name. 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