wicked
/ˈwɪkɪd/
"wicked" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“wicked” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,305 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #7,305
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 18
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Evil or mischievous by nature; morally reprehensible.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wicked |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈwɪkɪd/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #7,305 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 18 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “wicked” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for wicked is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪkɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,305 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for wicked, with forms such as "iwcked", "wciked", and "wiccked". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "wiped", "wired", "worked", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Of uncertain origin. Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wiċċa (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-West Germanic *wikkō (“necromance… The correct English form is wicked, spelled W-I-C-K-E-D.
Definition
- 1Evil or mischievous by nature; morally reprehensible.
- 2Harsh; severe.
- 3Excellent; awesome; masterful.
Etymology
From Middle English wicked, wikked, an alteration of Middle English wicke, wikke (“morally perverse, evil, wicked”). Of uncertain origin. Possibly from an adjectival use of Old English wiċċa (“wizard, sorcerer”), from Proto-West Germanic *wikkō (“necromancer, sorcerer”), though the phonology makes this theory difficult to explain. Alternatively, perhaps related to English wicker, Old Norse víkja (“to bend to, yield, turn, move”), Swedish vika (“to bend, fold, give way to”), English weak. The "excellent, awesome" sense is an ameliorative semantic shift from the original sense of "evil, mischievous". Compare similar semantic development in terrific and sick.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iwcked,wciked,wiccked,wicekd,wickde,wickedd,wickked,wikced,wwicked
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wicked - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “wicked”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-I-C-K-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwɪkɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “wiped” - see the side-by-side comparison. wicked vs wiped
- 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.