bandicoot

/ˈbændɪˌkuːt/

//ˈbændɪˌkuːt// noun

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

"bandicoot" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bandicoot” is uncommon English (frequency #52,168 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,168
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various small marsupials of Australia and New Guinea, some with distinctive long snouts, of the family Peramelidae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bandicoot · bandicoot · English

bandicoot · rank #52,168 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,168
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH balaclava

Nearest frequency peer: balaclava (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “bandicoot”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “bandicoot” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for bandicoot
PropertyValue
Headwordbandicoot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbændɪˌkuːt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#52,168
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bandicoot” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).bandicootfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “balaclava” (#52,167), “bangle” (#52,169), “banishing” (#52,170). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bandicoot” is #52,168. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bandicoot is uncommon English at frequency #52,168 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbændɪˌkuːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for bandicoot, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Ultimately from Telugu పందికొక్కు (pandikokku), from పంది (pandi, “pig, boar”) + కొక్కు (kokku, “bandicoot”); first used of Asian murids, now called bandicoot rats, thence applied to the Australian marsupials which bear some resemblance. The correct English form is bandicoot, spelled B-A-N-D-I-C-O-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various small marsupials of Australia and New Guinea, some with distinctive long snouts, of the family Peramelidae.
  2. 2
    A bandicoot rat; any of the genera Bandicota and Nesokia of rat-like rodents of southeast Asia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. At the rustle of a bandicoot we noticed the upraised gleam of eyes around the fires.

Etymology

Ultimately from Telugu పందికొక్కు (pandikokku), from పంది (pandi, “pig, boar”) + కొక్కు (kokku, “bandicoot”); first used of Asian murids, now called bandicoot rats, thence applied to the Australian marsupials which bear some resemblance.

This word in other languages

bandicoot(Français)

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 "bandicoot"?
"bandicoot" is spelled B-A-N-D-I-C-O-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbændɪˌkuːt/.
What does "bandicoot" mean?
As a noun, "bandicoot" means: Any of various small marsupials of Australia and New Guinea, some with distinctive long snouts, of the family Peramelidae.
How do you pronounce "bandicoot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bandicoot" is /ˈbændɪˌkuːt/. 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 "bandicoot"?
Ultimately from Telugu పందికొక్కు (pandikokku), from పంది (pandi, “pig, boar”) + కొక్కు (kokku, “bandicoot”); first used of Asian murids, now called bandicoot rats, thence applied to the Australian marsupials which bear some resemblance. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "bandicoot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

balaclava#52,167banishing#52,170athenaeum#52,158breakneck#52,191

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list