eland

/ˈiːlənd/

//ˈiːlənd// noun

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

The verdict

“eland” is uncommon English (frequency #79,484 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,484
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A genus of large South African antelope (Taurotragus), valued both for its hide and flesh.

Key facts for eland
PropertyValue
Headwordeland
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiːlənd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#79,484
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “eland” 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). eland 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

eland is uncommon English at frequency #79,484 among 18,836 “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.

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.

Using “eland”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-L-A-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈiːlənd/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list