goshawk

/ˈɡɒshɔːk/

//ˈɡɒshɔːk// noun

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

"goshawk" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“goshawk” is uncommon English (frequency #84,309 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,309
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several birds of prey, principally in the genus Accipiter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-goshawk · goshawk · English

goshawk · rank #84,309 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,309
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gores

Nearest frequency peer: Gores (-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 “goshawk”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for goshawk
PropertyValue
Headwordgoshawk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɒshɔːk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#84,309
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “goshawk” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).goshawkfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Gores” (#84,308), “Granta” (#84,313), “gravimetric” (#84,314). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “goshawk” is #84,309. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

goshawk is uncommon English at frequency #84,309 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡɒshɔːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of several birds of prey, principally in the genus Accipiter.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for goshawk, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English goshauk, from Old English gōshafoc (“goose hawk”), from gōs (“goose”) and hafoc (“hawk”). Compare also Old Norse gáshaukr and Late Middle English gosling. The bird gets its name from the fact that the birds of the species are hawks that … The correct English form is goshawk, spelled G-O-S-H-A-W-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several birds of prey, principally in the genus Accipiter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. But you heed me no more than a goss-hawk minds a yellow yoldring.

Etymology

From Middle English goshauk, from Old English gōshafoc (“goose hawk”), from gōs (“goose”) and hafoc (“hawk”). Compare also Old Norse gáshaukr and Late Middle English gosling. The bird gets its name from the fact that the birds of the species are hawks that were alleged to prey on geese.

This word in other languages

azor(Español)autour(Français)Habicht(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 "goshawk"?
"goshawk" is spelled G-O-S-H-A-W-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɒshɔːk/.
What does "goshawk" mean?
As a noun, "goshawk" means: Any of several birds of prey, principally in the genus Accipiter.
How do you pronounce "goshawk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "goshawk" is /ˈɡɒshɔːk/. 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 "goshawk"?
From Middle English goshauk, from Old English gōshafoc (“goose hawk”), from gōs (“goose”) and hafoc (“hawk”). Compare also Old Norse gáshaukr and Late Middle English gosling. The bird gets its name from the fact that the birds of the species are h... 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 "goshawk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grommet#84,321gamedev#84,281Heloise#84,350Higuchi#84,356

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list