jackal

/ˈd͡ʒækəl/

//ˈd͡ʒækəl// noun

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

"jackal" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“jackal” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,133. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,133
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of certain wild canids of the genera Lupulella and Canis, native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jackal · jackal · English

jackal · rank #34,133 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,133
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH ischemic

Nearest frequency peer: ischemic (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “jackal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “jackal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

jackal vs Jamal
50% similar
jackal vs jacks
67% similar
jackal vs Jacky
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for jackal
PropertyValue
Headwordjackal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒækəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,133
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “jackal”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).jackallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ischemic” (#34,132), “jaeger” (#34,134), “Irvin” (#34,131). Among 796 “J” headwords, “jackal” is #34,133. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around jackal (IPA /ˈd͡ʒækəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,133 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for jackal, with forms such as "ajckal", "jacakl", and "jacckal". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Jamal", "jacks", "Jacky", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French chacal, chacale, checale, schakal, ciacale, from Turkish çakal, from Persian شغال (šaġâl), borrowed from Sanskrit शृगाल (śṛgāla, “jackal”). The correct English form is jackal, spelled J-A-C-K-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of certain wild canids of the genera Lupulella and Canis, native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.
  2. 2
    A person who performs menial or routine tasks; a dogsbody.
  3. 3
    A person who behaves in an opportunistic way; especially a base collaborator.
  4. 4
    A jack (the playing card).
  5. 5
    A player who steals the ball at the tackle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In passing, it also mentions how the jackal and the tiger acquired their reddish spots. All of the animals referred to, except the deer, have tricksterlike personalities, both in this tale and in other story contexts. But the jackal is the most renowned of all for roguishness.
  2. Until recently, scientists thought Ethiopian wolves were a type of jackal. They gave Ethiopian wolves names like Semien jackal, Simenian jackal, or Ethiopian jackal.

Etymology

From French chacal, chacale, checale, schakal, ciacale, from Turkish çakal, from Persian شغال (šaġâl), borrowed from Sanskrit शृगाल (śṛgāla, “jackal”).

This word in other languages

chacal(Español)chacal(Français)Schakal(Deutsch)chacal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ajckal
  • jacakl
  • jacckal
  • jackall
  • jackkal
  • jackla
  • jakcal
  • jcakal
  • jjackal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of jackal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ajckal2jacakl2jacckal1jackall1jackkal1jackla2jakcal2jcakal2
Edit distance from "jackal"

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 "jackal"?
"jackal" is spelled J-A-C-K-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒækəl/.
What does "jackal" mean?
As a noun, "jackal" means: Any of certain wild canids of the genera Lupulella and Canis, native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.
What words are commonly confused with "jackal"?
"jackal" is commonly confused with "Jamal", "jacks", "Jacky". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jackal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jackal" is /ˈd͡ʒækəl/. 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 "jackal"?
From French chacal, chacale, checale, schakal, ciacale, from Turkish çakal, from Persian شغال (šaġâl), borrowed from Sanskrit शृगाल (śṛgāla, “jackal”). 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 "jackal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jaeger#34,134Jethro#34,137Kidman#34,147lackey#34,153

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

knotted9 variantsluring9 variantshander9 variantsgrinned9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list