eland

/ˈiːlənd/

//ˈiːlənd// noun

"eland" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eland” is uncommon English (frequency #79,484 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,484
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A genus of large South African antelope (Taurotragus), valued both for its hide and flesh.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eland · eland · English

eland · rank #79,484 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,484
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH EITC

Nearest frequency peer: EITC (-2 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 “eland”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for eland
PropertyValue
Headwordeland
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiːlənd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#79,484
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “eland” 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).elandfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “EITC” (#79,482), “Elphinstone” (#79,487), “eggy” (#79,480). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eland” is #79,484. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

eland is uncommon English at frequency #79,484 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈiːlənd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A genus of large South African antelope (Taurotragus), valued both for its hide and flesh.".

Zero misspellings are on record for eland in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Afrikaans eland, from Dutch eland (“elk”), from Middle Dutch elant, from obsolete early modern German elend, from Middle High German elen, see German Elen for more. Doublet of elk. The correct English form is eland, spelled E-L-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A genus of large South African antelope (Taurotragus), valued both for its hide and flesh.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As a matter of fact, however, I had never seen an eland in a wild state before.
  2. You almost forget you're in Africa. But suddenly you remember when a big eland goes trudging off from beside the road.

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans eland, from Dutch eland (“elk”), from Middle Dutch elant, from obsolete early modern German elend, from Middle High German elen, see German Elen for more. Doublet of elk.

Synonyms

OreasOreas canna

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

How do you spell "eland"?
"eland" is spelled E-L-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiːlənd/.
What does "eland" mean?
As a noun, "eland" means: A genus of large South African antelope (Taurotragus), valued both for its hide and flesh.
How do you pronounce "eland"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eland" is /ˈiːlənd/. 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 "eland"?
Borrowed from Afrikaans eland, from Dutch eland (“elk”), from Middle Dutch elant, from obsolete early modern German elend, from Middle High German elen, see German Elen for more. Doublet of elk. 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 "eland", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list