zilch
/zɪlt͡ʃ/
"zilch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“zilch” is an uncommon English word, ranked #55,202 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #55,202
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | zilch |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /zɪlt͡ʃ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #55,202 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “zilch” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for zilch is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /zɪlt͡ʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #55,202 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.
Zero misspellings are on record for zilch in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine. Compare the rare Ge… The correct English form is zilch, spelled Z-I-L-C-H.
Definition
- 1A nobody: a person who is worthless in importance or character.
- 2Nothing, zero.
Etymology
Probably from Joe Zilch, a placeholder name (compare John Doe) used by Nunnally Johnson in his column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1923; in turn from Joe Zilch, an unseen character referenced in comedian Frank Tinney's stage routine. Compare the rare German surname Zilch.
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); 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
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Using “zilch”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is Z-I-L-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /zɪlt͡ʃ/ (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.