foxtail

Name: foxtail, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“foxtail” is uncommon English (frequency #97,044 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,044
frequency rank, English: 18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A tail of a fox.

Key facts for foxtail
Property	Value
Headword	foxtail
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#97,044
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foxtail” 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). foxtail lands here:

#97,044

#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

foxtail is uncommon English at frequency #97,044 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 13 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for foxtail in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fox-tail. By surface analysis, fox + tail. The correct English form is foxtail, spelled F-O-X-T-A-I-L.

Definition

1
A tail of a fox.
2
A dry spikelet or spikelet seed and flower cluster of some grasses.
3
A cluster of buds on a cannabis plant.
4
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
5
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
6
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
7
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
8
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
9
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
10
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
11
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
12
A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
13
The last cinders obtained in the fining process.

Etymology

From Middle English fox-tail. By surface analysis, fox + tail.

This word in other languages

queue de renard(Français)Fuchsschwanz(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 "foxtail"?

"foxtail" is spelled F-O-X-T-A-I-L.

What does "foxtail" mean?

As a noun, "foxtail" means: A tail of a fox.

What is the origin of the word "foxtail"?

From Middle English fox-tail. By surface analysis, fox + tail. 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 “foxtail”

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

The one correct English spelling is F-O-X-T-A-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
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.