golliwog
noun
golliwog is spelled G-O-L-L-I-W-O-G: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, golliwog means “A rag doll or mascot in the form of a caricature of a black minstrel” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of golliwog is golliwogs.
How many letters and syllables are in golliwog?
| Letters | 8: G-O-L-L-I-W-O-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 32 million words; the 173,967th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is golliwog?
Golliwog appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 173,967th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce golliwog?
- Australia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: EN-AU_ck1_golliwog.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of golliwog
- golliwogs plural
- golliwogg
- gollywog
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does golliwog mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rag doll or mascot in the form of a caricature of a black minstrel.
- 2
datedoffensiveA black person.
- 3
AustraliaA hairy caterpillar.
- 4
A receiver of stolen goods.
- 5
slangGreyhound racing: the jolly dogs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Golliwog in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense derogatory: a black person:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bougnoul(e) |
| Spanish | conguito |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does golliwog come from?
Perhaps a blend of golly + polliwog Coined for the illustrations by Florence Kate Upton for her mother Bertha Upton′s 1895 children′s book, The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls – and a ‘Golliwogg’.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).