Jacob

/ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/

//ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb// name

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

"jacob" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Jacob” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,866. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,866
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name from Hebrew.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jacob · Jacob · English

Jacob · rank #4,866 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,866
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH invasion

Nearest frequency peer: invasion (-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 “Jacob”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Jacob” 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).

Jacob vs job
40% similar
Jacob vs Jason
60% similar
Jacob vs Jacobs
83% similar

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

Key facts for Jacob
PropertyValue
HeadwordJacob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,866
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Jacob”

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).Jacoblands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “invasion” (#4,865), “jumping” (#4,867), “instantly” (#4,864). Among 796 “J” headwords, “Jacob” is #4,866. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Jacob (IPA /ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #4,866 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Jacob, with forms such as "ajcob", "jacbo", and "jaccob". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "job", "Jason", "Jacobs", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Iacob, from Late Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel”). Doublet of James. The correct English form is Jacob, spelled J-A-C-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from Hebrew.
  2. 2
    A male given name from Hebrew.
  3. 3
    A male given name from Hebrew.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Georgette. How are you called?" "Jacob." "That's a Flemish name." "American too." "You're not a Flamand?" "No, American." "Good, I detest Flamands." - - - Brett smiled at him. "I've promised to dance this with Jacob," she laughed. "You've a hell of a biblical name, Jake."
  2. Analysts and opinion polls had forecast losses for the ANC but a pivotal factor in the party’s staggering decline was former President Jacob Zuma and his newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which capitalized on widespread discontent within the ANC’s traditional voter base.

Etymology

From Middle English Iacob, from Late Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel”). Doublet of James.

This word in other languages

Jacob(Español)Jacob(Français)Jakob(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ajcob
  • jacbo
  • jaccob
  • jacobb
  • jaocb
  • jcaob
  • jjacob

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Jacob - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ajcob2jacbo2jaccob1jacobb1jaocb2jcaob2jjacob1
Edit distance from "Jacob"

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 "Jacob"?
"Jacob" is spelled J-A-C-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/.
What does "Jacob" mean?
As a proper noun, "Jacob" means: A male given name from Hebrew.
What words are commonly confused with "Jacob"?
"Jacob" is commonly confused with "job", "Jason", "Jacobs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Jacob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Jacob" is /ˈd͡ʒeɪkəb/. 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 "Jacob"?
From Middle English Iacob, from Late Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (yaʿăqōḇ, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (ʿāqēḇ, “heel”). Doublet of James. 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 "Jacob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hosts#4,862maker#4,871Mario#4,873essay#4,854

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

rubber7 variantssnake7 variantscasual7 variantstasks7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list