winsome

Name: winsome, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈwɪn.səm/

//ˈwɪn.səm// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“winsome” is uncommon English (frequency #60,568 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,568
frequency rank, English: 12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Charming, engaging, winning; inspiring approval and trust, especially if in an innocent manner.

Key facts for winsome
Property	Value
Headword	winsome
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈwɪn.səm/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#60,568
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “winsome” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). winsome lands here:

#60,568

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

winsome is uncommon English at frequency #60,568 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈwɪn.səm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Charming, engaging, winning; inspiring approval and trust, especially if in an innocent manner.".

winsome doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English wynsom, winsom, winsome, winsum, wunsum (“beautiful; agreeable, gracious, pleasant; generous; of situations: favourable, propitious”), from Old English wynsum (“joyful, merry, pleasant; winsome”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunn… The correct English form is winsome, spelled W-I-N-S-O-M-E.

Definition

1
Charming, engaging, winning; inspiring approval and trust, especially if in an innocent manner.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wynsom, winsom, winsome, winsum, wunsum (“beautiful; agreeable, gracious, pleasant; generous; of situations: favourable, propitious”), from Old English wynsum (“joyful, merry, pleasant; winsome”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunnjusam (“joyful”). By surface analysis, winne (“delight, joy, pleasure”) + -some.

This word in other languages

encantador(Español)gewinnend(Deutsch)atraente(Português)

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

How do you spell "winsome"?

"winsome" is spelled W-I-N-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪn.səm/.

What does "winsome" mean?

As an adjective, "winsome" means: Charming, engaging, winning; inspiring approval and trust, especially if in an innocent manner.

How do you pronounce "winsome"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "winsome" is /ˈwɪn.səm/. 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 "winsome"?

Inherited from Middle English wynsom, winsom, winsome, winsum, wunsum (“beautiful; agreeable, gracious, pleasant; generous; of situations: favourable, propitious”), from Old English wynsum (“joyful, merry, pleasant; winsome”), from Proto-West Germ... 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.

Using “winsome”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is W-I-N-S-O-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈwɪn.səm/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.