wistful

/ˈwɪstfəl/

//ˈwɪstfəl// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"wistful" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wistful” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,475 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#41,475
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Full of longing or yearning.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wistful vs wilful
71% similar
wistful vs wishful
86% similar
wistful vs willful
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wistful
PropertyValue
Headwordwistful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwɪstfəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,475
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wistful” 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). wistful lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for wistful is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪstfəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #41,475 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for wistful, with forms such as "iwstful", "wisftul", and "wisstful". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "wilful", "wishful", "willful", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Presumably from *whistful, from whist (“silent”) + -ful, based on older wistly. It is implausible that it derives from wishful, the required sound change being wishful → *wisful → wistful, which could not occur in Modern English, particularly not with wishf… The correct English form is wistful, spelled W-I-S-T-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Full of longing or yearning.
  2. 2
    Sad and thoughtful.

Etymology

Presumably from *whistful, from whist (“silent”) + -ful, based on older wistly. It is implausible that it derives from wishful, the required sound change being wishful → *wisful → wistful, which could not occur in Modern English, particularly not with wishful continuing in use. However, the sense of “longing” appears to be influenced by wishful, making wistful an ambiguous poetic word.

This word in other languages

nostálgico(Español)mélancolique(Français)wehmütig(Deutsch)saudoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iwstful,wisftul,wisstful,wistfful,wistflu,wistfull,wisttful,wistufl,witsful,wsitful,wwistful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wistful - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iwstful2wisftul2wisstful1wistfful1wistflu2wistfull1wisttful1wistufl2
Edit distance from "wistful"

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 "wistful"?
"wistful" is spelled W-I-S-T-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪstfəl/.
What does "wistful" mean?
As an adjective, "wistful" means: Full of longing or yearning.
What words are commonly confused with "wistful"?
"wistful" is commonly confused with "wilful", "wishful", "willful". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wistful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wistful" is /ˈwɪstfəl/. 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 "wistful"?
Presumably from *whistful, from whist (“silent”) + -ful, based on older wistly. It is implausible that it derives from wishful, the required sound change being wishful → *wisful → wistful, which could not occur in Modern English, particularly not ... 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 “wistful”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-I-S-T-F-U-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈwɪstfəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “wilful” - see the side-by-side comparison. wistful vs wilful
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list