goblin
/ˈɡɒb.lɪn/
"goblin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“goblin” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,353 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,353
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | goblin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #19,353 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “goblin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for goblin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,353 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for goblin, with forms such as "gbolin", "ggoblin", and "gobblin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "goin", "Golan", "Godwin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Gr… The correct English form is goblin, spelled G-O-B-L-I-N.
Definition
- 1A malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.
- 2A hoodoo.
- 3Short for goblin shark
Etymology
From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: gbolin,ggoblin,gobblin,gobiln,goblinn,gobllin,goblni,golbin,ogblin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of goblin - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "goblin"?
What does "goblin" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "goblin"?
How do you pronounce "goblin"?
What is the origin of the word "goblin"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “goblin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-O-B-L-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “goin” - see the side-by-side comparison. goblin vs goin
- 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.