# joker

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/ · frequency rank #10,567

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **jor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-jor)
- **Jose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-jose)
- **jour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-jour)
- **juke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-juke)
- **Jove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-jove)
- **Jones** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-jones)
- **jokes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-jokes)
- **Josef** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joker-vs-josef)
- **Joe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joe-vs-joker)
- **jer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jer-vs-joker)
- **joke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joke-vs-joker)
- **jake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jake-vs-joker)
- **Joel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joel-vs-joker)
- **joey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joey-vs-joker)
- **Jeter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jeter-vs-joker)
- **Johor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/johor-vs-joker)
- **jockey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jockey-vs-joker)
- **joiner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/joiner-vs-joker)
- **jogger** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/jogger-vs-joker)

## Common misspellings (7)
`jjoker`, `jkoer`, `joekr`, `jokerr`, `jokker`, `jokre`, `ojker`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/joker