foxtail

noun

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

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

The verdict

“foxtail” is uncommon English (frequency #97,044 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,044
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tail of a fox.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foxtail · foxtail · English

foxtail · rank #97,044 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,044
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fraulein

Nearest frequency peer: fraulein (+1 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 “foxtail”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for foxtail
PropertyValue
Headwordfoxtail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#97,044
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “foxtail” 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).foxtailfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “fraulein” (#97,045), “fretless” (#97,047), “fording” (#97,039). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foxtail” is #97,044. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

foxtail is uncommon English at frequency #97,044 among 2,507 “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. 1
    A tail of a fox.
  2. 2
    A dry spikelet or spikelet seed and flower cluster of some grasses.
  3. 3
    A cluster of buds on a cannabis plant.
  4. 4
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  5. 5
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  6. 6
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  7. 7
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  8. 8
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  9. 9
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  10. 10
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  11. 11
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  12. 12
    A plant having a part resembling the tail of a fox or such spikelet.
  13. 13
    The last cinders obtained in the fining process.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Look at the foxtails growing along the road.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "foxtail", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fording#97,039fanfest#97,018extrude#97,011greenie#97,078

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list