witticism
/ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/
"witticism" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“witticism” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | witticism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “witticism” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for witticism is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for witticism in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From witty + -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism. The correct English form is witticism, spelled W-I-T-T-I-C-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger.
Etymology
From witty + -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism.
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 “witticism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-I-T-T-I-C-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/ (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.