golden goose

noun

"golden-goose" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“golden goose” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that generates much profit or gives great advantages.

Key facts for golden goose
PropertyValue
Headwordgolden goose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “golden goose” sits in English frequency

golden goose falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

golden goose is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Something that generates much profit or gives great advantages.".

No misspelling variants are generated for golden goose in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: See kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. The correct English form is golden goose, spelled G-O-L-D-E-N- -G-O-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that generates much profit or gives great advantages.

Etymology

See kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

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 "golden goose"?
"golden goose" is spelled G-O-L-D-E-N- -G-O-O-S-E.
What does "golden goose" mean?
As a noun, "golden goose" means: Something that generates much profit or gives great advantages.
What is the origin of the word "golden goose"?
See kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. 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 “golden goose”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-L-D-E-N- -G-O-O-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list