get someone's goat
/ˌɡɛt ˈsʌmwʌnz ˈɡəʊt/
"get-someone-s-goat" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“get someone's goat” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To annoy or infuriate someone.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | get someone's goat |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌɡɛt ˈsʌmwʌnz ˈɡəʊt/ |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “get someone's goat” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for get someone's goat is 18 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɡɛt ˈsʌmwʌnz ˈɡəʊt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To annoy or infuriate someone.".
Zero misspellings are on record for get someone's goat in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain; it has been suggested that the term may be derived from French prendre la chèvre (literally “to take the goat”), or refer to the stealing of a goat mascot from a military unit, etc. The correct English form is get someone's goat, spelled G-E-T- -S-O-M-E-O-N-E-'-S- -G-O-A-T.
Definition
- 1To annoy or infuriate someone.
Etymology
Uncertain; it has been suggested that the term may be derived from French prendre la chèvre (literally “to take the goat”), or refer to the stealing of a goat mascot from a military unit, etc.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "get someone's goat"?
What does "get someone's goat" mean?
How do you pronounce "get someone's goat"?
What is the origin of the word "get someone's goat"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “get someone's goat”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-E-T- -S-O-M-E-O-N-E-'-S- -G-O-A-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɡɛt ˈsʌmwʌnz ˈɡəʊt/ (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
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.