bodkin
/ˈbɒdkɪn/
"bodkin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bodkin” is uncommon English (frequency #84,039 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #84,039
- frequency rank, English
- 31,241
- “B” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small sharp pointed tool for making holes in cloth or leather.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bodkin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbɒdkɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #84,039 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bodkin” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
bodkin is uncommon English at frequency #84,039 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɒdkɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for bodkin, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English boydekin (“dagger”), apparently from *boyde, *boide (of unknown [Celtic?] origin) + -kin. Cognate with Scots botkin, boitkin, boikin (“bodkin”). The correct English form is bodkin, spelled B-O-D-K-I-N.
Definition
- 1A small sharp pointed tool for making holes in cloth or leather.
- 2A blunt needle used for threading ribbon or cord through a hem or casing.
- 3A hairpin.
- 4A dagger.
- 5A type of long thin arrowhead.
- 6A sharp tool, like an awl, formerly used for pressing down individual type characters (e.g. letters) from a column or page in making corrections.
Etymology
From Middle English boydekin (“dagger”), apparently from *boyde, *boide (of unknown [Celtic?] origin) + -kin. Cognate with Scots botkin, boitkin, boikin (“bodkin”).
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 “bodkin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-D-K-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbɒdkɪn/ (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.