gooseneck

/ˈɡusˌnɛk/

//ˈɡusˌnɛk// noun

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

"gooseneck" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gooseneck” is uncommon English (frequency #97,074 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,074
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Anything with a slender curved shape, resembling the neck of a goose, such as the shaft of some lamps.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gooseneck · gooseneck · English

gooseneck · rank #97,074 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,074
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH graaf

Nearest frequency peer: graaf (+2 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 “gooseneck”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gooseneck
PropertyValue
Headwordgooseneck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡusˌnɛk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#97,074
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gooseneck” 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).gooseneckfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “graaf” (#97,076), “greenie” (#97,078), “gridded” (#97,079). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gooseneck” is #97,074. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gooseneck is uncommon English at frequency #97,074 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡusˌnɛk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

gooseneck doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From goose + neck. The correct English form is gooseneck, spelled G-O-O-S-E-N-E-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anything with a slender curved shape, resembling the neck of a goose, such as the shaft of some lamps.
  2. 2
    The swivel connection on a sailboat located near the bottom of the mast that the boom attaches to. When a sailboat performs a tack or a jibe the gooseneck swings the boom from one side of the boat to the other.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of gooseneck barnacle.
  4. 4
    Ellipsis of gooseneck loosestrife.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A gooseneck lamp can be swiveled around an object, allowing a good examination of all its surfaces.
  2. The gooseneck microphone. Mounted to the desk or to the side wall of the booth, the gooseneck offers a limited degree of flexibility for height and depth adjustment of the microphone.

Etymology

From goose + neck.

This word in other languages

vit-de-mulet(Français)Schwanenhals(Deutsch)

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 "gooseneck"?
"gooseneck" is spelled G-O-O-S-E-N-E-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡusˌnɛk/.
What does "gooseneck" mean?
As a noun, "gooseneck" means: Anything with a slender curved shape, resembling the neck of a goose, such as the shaft of some lamps.
How do you pronounce "gooseneck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gooseneck" is /ˈɡusˌnɛk/. 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 "gooseneck"?
From goose + neck. 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 "gooseneck", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gloryhole#97,068Hamiltons#97,089harmattan#97,091Hashemite#97,095

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list