burdock

/ˈbɜːdɒk/

//ˈbɜːdɒk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“burdock” is uncommon English (frequency #81,189 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,189
frequency rank, English
31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of the species of biennial thistles in the genus Arctium.

Key facts for burdock
PropertyValue
Headwordburdock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɜːdɒk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#81,189
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “burdock” 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). burdock 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

burdock is uncommon English at frequency #81,189 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɜːdɒk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of the species of biennial thistles in the genus Arctium.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for burdock, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *bury dokke (attested as plural bury dokkis), equivalent to bur(ry) + dock. The correct English form is burdock, spelled B-U-R-D-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the species of biennial thistles in the genus Arctium.

Etymology

From Middle English *bury dokke (attested as plural bury dokkis), equivalent to bur(ry) + dock.

Synonyms

gobo

This word in other languages

bardana(Español)bardane(Français)Klette(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 "burdock"?
"burdock" is spelled B-U-R-D-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɜːdɒk/.
What does "burdock" mean?
As a noun, "burdock" means: Any of the species of biennial thistles in the genus Arctium.
How do you pronounce "burdock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "burdock" is /ˈbɜːdɒk/. 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 "burdock"?
From Middle English *bury dokke (attested as plural bury dokkis), equivalent to bur(ry) + dock. 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 “burdock”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-U-R-D-O-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɜːdɒk/ (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