goalpost

/ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/

//ˈɡəʊlpəʊst// noun

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

"goalpost" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“goalpost” is uncommon English (frequency #69,893 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,893
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the two vertical side poles of a goal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-goalpost · goalpost · English

goalpost · rank #69,893 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,893
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH GMAT

Nearest frequency peer: GMAT (-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 “goalpost”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for goalpost
PropertyValue
Headwordgoalpost
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/
Letters8
Frequency rank#69,893
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “goalpost” 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).goalpostfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “GMAT” (#69,892), “Godavari” (#69,894), “godforsaken” (#69,895). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “goalpost” is #69,893. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

goalpost is uncommon English at frequency #69,893 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

goalpost doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From goal + post. The correct English form is goalpost, spelled G-O-A-L-P-O-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of the two vertical side poles of a goal.
  2. 2
    The tall Y-shaped upright, now usually of fiberglass, at either end of the playing field, through which a football must go in order for a field goal to be scored. (They were originally H-shaped, with one wooden post on either side.)
  3. 3
    A rule or target that is "moved" (changed) unfairly; see move the goalposts.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some kids were having a kickabout on the grass beside the walkway, cheering, groaning, calling for the ball, absorbed in the game, a self-contained universe marked out by jackets for goalposts and invisible touchlines.
  2. […] whatever you eat, how much you drink, you know the goalposts keep moving all the time, and it's difficult to be sure that, but I don't think it's harmful, not the amount I drink.

Etymology

From goal + post.

This word in other languages

poteau(Français)Torpfosten(Deutsch)trave(Português)

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 "goalpost"?
"goalpost" is spelled G-O-A-L-P-O-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/.
What does "goalpost" mean?
As a noun, "goalpost" means: One of the two vertical side poles of a goal.
How do you pronounce "goalpost"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "goalpost" is /ˈɡəʊlpəʊst/. 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 "goalpost"?
From goal + post. 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 "goalpost", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Godavari#69,894Goguryeo#69,896germinal#69,885Geraghty#69,884

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list