jackanapes
/ˈd͡ʒækəneɪps/
"jackanapes" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“jackanapes” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (A proper name for) an ape or monkey, especially a tame one kept for entertainment or as a pet.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | jackanapes |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈd͡ʒækəneɪps/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “jackanapes” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for jackanapes is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈd͡ʒækəneɪps/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
jackanapes has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English iack napys, iac nape, iac napes (“derogatory nickname of the English military commander and statesman William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk (1396–1450)”), probably from Jacun or Jakin (“pet forms of the male name Jack”) + ape (“ape, mo… The correct English form is jackanapes, spelled J-A-C-K-A-N-A-P-E-S.
Definition
- 1(A proper name for) an ape or monkey, especially a tame one kept for entertainment or as a pet.
- 2(A proper name for) a person thought to behave like an ape or monkey, for example, in being impudent, mischievous, vain, etc.; specifically (chiefly humorous), an impudent or mischievous child.
- 3A crucifix.
- 4A small pulley which keeps a rope in line when lifting ore, water, etc., from a mine.
Etymology
From Middle English iack napys, iac nape, iac napes (“derogatory nickname of the English military commander and statesman William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk (1396–1450)”), probably from Jacun or Jakin (“pet forms of the male name Jack”) + ape (“ape, monkey”) + -s (possibly modelled after surnames such as Hobbes and Jakkes), referring to Suffolk’s heraldic badge which was an ape’s chain and clog (“weight such as a block of wood or log attached to an animal to hinder motion”) (see the image, right). It is uncertain whether the word was first coined as a nickname for Suffolk (the earliest known uses), or to refer to an ape or an ape-like person. If the word was originally a nickname, some early uses of etymology 1 sense 2.1 (“person thought to behave like an ape or monkey”) may allude to Suffolk who was widely regarded as an upstart, having risen from the merchant class. In later uses, the middle element of the word was often treated as the indefinite article a or an, that is, as if the word meant “Jack, an ape”.
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
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Using “jackanapes”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is J-A-C-K-A-N-A-P-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈd͡ʒækəneɪps/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.