# kangaroo

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈɹuː/ · frequency rank #14,977

## Definitions
1. A member of the Macropodidae family of large marsupials with strong hind legs for hopping, native to Australia.
2. A hooded jacket with a front pocket, usually of fleece material, a kangaroo jacket.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Guugu Yimidhirr gangurru (“eastern grey kangaroo”).
(There is a popular myth that the word instead means "I don't know": supposedly, when Europeans asked what the kangaroo was, the Aboriginal Australians' answer meant "I don't know" and Europeans mistook this as the word for the animal. This is not true.)

## Easily confused with
- **Kangaroos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kangaroo-vs-kangaroos)

## Common misspellings (11)
`akngaroo`, `kagnaroo`, `kanagroo`, `kangaoro`, `kangaro`, `kangarroo`, `kanggaroo`, `kangraoo`, `kanngaroo`, `kkangaroo`, `knagaroo`

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