wrathful

/ˈɹɒθfəl/

//ˈɹɒθfəl// adj

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

"wrathful" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wrathful” is uncommon English (frequency #74,663 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,663
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Possessed of great wrath; very angry.

Key facts for wrathful
PropertyValue
Headwordwrathful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹɒθfəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#74,663
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wrathful” 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). wrathful lands here:

#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

wrathful is uncommon English at frequency #74,663 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɹɒθfəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Possessed of great wrath; very angry.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for wrathful, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wrath + -ful. The correct English form is wrathful, spelled W-R-A-T-H-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Possessed of great wrath; very angry.

Etymology

From wrath + -ful.

Synonyms

wrathwroth

This word in other languages

furioso(Español)courroucé(Français)zornig(Deutsch)

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 "wrathful"?
"wrathful" is spelled W-R-A-T-H-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɒθfəl/.
What does "wrathful" mean?
As an adjective, "wrathful" means: Possessed of great wrath; very angry.
How do you pronounce "wrathful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wrathful" is /ˈɹɒθfəl/. 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 "wrathful"?
From wrath + -ful. 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 “wrathful”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-R-A-T-H-F-U-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɹɒθfəl/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list