jaguar

/ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/

//ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə// noun

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

The verdict

“jaguar” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,780 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#14,780
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A carnivorous spotted large cat native to South and Central America, Panthera onca.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

jaguar vs January
57% similar
jaguar vs jugular
71% similar
jaguar vs Jafar
50% similar

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

Key facts for jaguar
PropertyValue
Headwordjaguar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,780
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “jaguar” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). jaguar lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for jaguar is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,780 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A carnivorous spotted large cat native to South and Central America, Panthera onca.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for jaguar, with forms such as "ajguar", "jagaur", and "jagguar". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "January", "jugular", "Jafar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Portuguese jaguar, from Old Tupi îagûara. The correct English form is jaguar, spelled J-A-G-U-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A carnivorous spotted large cat native to South and Central America, Panthera onca.

Etymology

From Portuguese jaguar, from Old Tupi îagûara.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ajguar,jagaur,jagguar,jaguarr,jagura,jaugar,jgauar,jjaguar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ajguar2jagaur2jagguar1jaguarr1jagura2jaugar2jgauar2jjaguar1
Edit distance from "jaguar"

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 "jaguar"?
"jaguar" is spelled J-A-G-U-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/.
What does "jaguar" mean?
As a noun, "jaguar" means: A carnivorous spotted large cat native to South and Central America, Panthera onca.
What words are commonly confused with "jaguar"?
"jaguar" is commonly confused with "January", "jugular", "Jafar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jaguar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jaguar" is /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/. 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 "jaguar"?
From Portuguese jaguar, from Old Tupi îagûara. 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.

Using “jaguar”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is J-A-G-U-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “January” - see the side-by-side comparison. jaguar vs January
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list