joey

/ˈd͡ʒoʊ.i/

//ˈd͡ʒoʊ.i// noun

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

"joey" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“joey” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,053. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,053
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The immature young of a marsupial, notably a junior kangaroo, but also a young wallaby, koala, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-joey · joey · English

joey · rank #8,053 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,053
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH Jamaica

Nearest frequency peer: Jamaica (-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 “joey”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “joey” 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).

joey vs joy
75% similar
joey vs Jon
25% similar
joey vs jog
50% similar

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

Key facts for joey
PropertyValue
Headwordjoey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒoʊ.i/
Letters4
Frequency rank#8,053
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “joey”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Jamaica” (#8,052), “Joshua” (#8,054), “interpreted” (#8,051). Among 796 “J” headwords, “joey” is #8,053. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around joey (IPA /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.i/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,053 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for joey, with forms such as "jeoy", "jjoey", and "joeyy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "joy", "Jon", "jog", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. Older and more general sources state that joey comes from an Australian Aboriginal language (cited as joè), but newer sources that focus on Australian English and Aboriginal languages say the origin is unknown. The Australian National Dictionary in… The correct English form is joey, spelled J-O-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The immature young of a marsupial, notably a junior kangaroo, but also a young wallaby, koala, etc.
  2. 2
    A young child.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of joey word.
  4. 4
    A parcel smuggled in to an inmate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As soon as a joey is born, it crawls into its mother's pouch. The joey grows in the pouch.
  2. Among the kangaroo words that yield the most joviality and joy are those that conceal multiple joeys.

Etymology

Unknown. Older and more general sources state that joey comes from an Australian Aboriginal language (cited as joè), but newer sources that focus on Australian English and Aboriginal languages say the origin is unknown. The Australian National Dictionary includes a sense of “young possum” with citations predating the earliest “young kangaroo” citations.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • jeoy
  • jjoey
  • joeyy
  • joye
  • ojey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of joey - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

jeoy2jjoey1joeyy1joye2ojey2
Edit distance from "joey"

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 "joey"?
"joey" is spelled J-O-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.i/.
What does "joey" mean?
As a noun, "joey" means: The immature young of a marsupial, notably a junior kangaroo, but also a young wallaby, koala, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "joey"?
"joey" is commonly confused with "joy", "Jon", "jog". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "joey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "joey" is /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.i/. 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 "joey"?
Unknown. Older and more general sources state that joey comes from an Australian Aboriginal language (cited as joè), but newer sources that focus on Australian English and Aboriginal languages say the origin is unknown. The Australian National Dic... 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 "joey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lend#8,057Leon#8,059hail#8,042mint#8,065

Similar misspelling depth

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

Gaza5 variantsnova5 variantsEssex5 variantsseas5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list