young'un

/ˈjʌŋən/

//ˈjʌŋən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“young'un” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Child.

Corpus desk

Index EN-young-un · young'un · English

young'un · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Y" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for young'un
PropertyValue
Headwordyoung'un
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjʌŋən/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “young'un” sits in English frequency

young'unranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

young'un is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈjʌŋən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Child.".

Zero misspellings are on record for young'un in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Univerbation of young + 'un. The correct English form is young'un, spelled Y-O-U-N-G-'-U-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Child.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how young'un appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "Jesus Christ! Was my folks refined. My mam she wouldn't think-a lettin' us young'uns call a pee pot a pee pot. A chamber's what she called it... And by God! Us young'uns had ter call the pee pot a chamber or git our God damn necks wrang."

Etymology

Univerbation of young + 'un.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "young'un"?
"young'un" is spelled Y-O-U-N-G-'-U-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjʌŋən/.
What does "young'un" mean?
As a noun, "young'un" means: Child.
How do you pronounce "young'un"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "young'un" is /ˈjʌŋən/. 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 "young'un"?
Univerbation of young + 'un. 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.

What to do next

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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