joker

/ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/

//ˈd͡ʒəʊkə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“joker” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,567. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,567
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who makes jokes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-joker · joker · English

joker · rank #10,567 · 7 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,567
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH jewellery

Nearest frequency peer: jewellery (-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 “joker”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “joker” 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).

joker vs jor
60% similar
joker vs Jose
40% similar
joker vs jour
60% similar

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

Key facts for joker
PropertyValue
Headwordjoker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,567
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “joker”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).jokerlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “jewellery” (#10,566), “Jonas” (#10,568), “jealousy” (#10,565). Among 796 “J” headwords, “joker” is #10,567. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around joker (IPA /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,567 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for joker, with forms such as "jjoker", "jkoer", and "joekr". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "jor", "Jose", "jour", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From joke + -er, but in the sense of a playing card possibly by alteration of Jucker, also the origin of the name of the card game euchre. The correct English form is joker, spelled J-O-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who makes jokes.
  2. 2
    A funny person.
  3. 3
    A jester.
  4. 4
    A playing card that features a picture of a joker (that is, a jester) and that may be used as a wild card in some card games.
  5. 5
    Something kept in reserve that can be used to gain an advantage; a trump card.
  6. 6
    An unspecified, vaguely disreputable person.
  7. 7
    An unspecified, vaguely disreputable person.
  8. 8
    A man.
  9. 9
    A clause in a contract that undermines its apparent provisions.
  10. 10
    A friendly unit that acts as a suspected hostile unit in a military excercise.
  11. 11
    The option, in a pub quiz, of selecting one particular round in which one's team will score double points.
  12. 12
    A fairy chess piece that moves like the last piece that was moved by the opponent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Rebus decided to use their joker. 'Mr Lintz made a phone call to this office. He was talking for over twenty minutes.'
  2. Tash Wilson played her 'joker' , pulling her chair so close our legs were almost touching. 'Hey, Chris, do you want to go out sometime? All you've got to do is say the word.'

Etymology

From joke + -er, but in the sense of a playing card possibly by alteration of Jucker, also the origin of the name of the card game euchre.

Synonyms

buffoonclowncomediancomiccutupfunnymangagmangagstergiberhumoristjackpuddingjokerjokesterwagwit

This word in other languages

bromista(Español)blagueur(Français)Spaßvogel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • jjoker
  • jkoer
  • joekr
  • jokerr
  • jokker
  • jokre
  • ojker

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of joker - 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.

jjoker1jkoer2joekr2jokerr1jokker1jokre2ojker2
Edit distance from "joker"

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 "joker"?
"joker" is spelled J-O-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/.
What does "joker" mean?
As a noun, "joker" means: A person who makes jokes.
What words are commonly confused with "joker"?
"joker" is commonly confused with "jor", "Jose", "jour". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "joker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "joker" is /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/. 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 "joker"?
From joke + -er, but in the sense of a playing card possibly by alteration of Jucker, also the origin of the name of the card game euchre. 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 "joker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Jonas#10,568laden#10,571limbs#10,573hedge#10,554

Similar misspelling depth

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

kisses7 variantsgroove7 variantsGavin7 variantsPayne7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list