lampoon

/læmˈpuːn/

//læmˈpuːn// noun

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

"lampoon" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lampoon” is uncommon English (frequency #64,487 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,487
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A written attack or other work ridiculing a person, group, or institution; especially, a satirical one.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lampoon · lampoon · English

lampoon · rank #64,487 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,487
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lamination

Nearest frequency peer: lamination (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “lampoon”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “lampoon” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lampoon
PropertyValue
Headwordlampoon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/læmˈpuːn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#64,487
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lampoon” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “lamination” (#64,486), “Landa” (#64,488), “Lambing” (#64,485). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lampoon” is #64,487. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lampoon is uncommon English at frequency #64,487 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /læmˈpuːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A written attack or other work ridiculing a person, group, or institution; especially, a satirical one.".

lampoon doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French lampon (“satire, mockery, ridicule”), built on French lampons (“let us drink — a popular refrain for scurrilous songs”), from lamper (“to quaff, to swig”). : Littré quotes a satirical song mocking King Jacques II Stuart, fleeing Dublin, in 1691,… The correct English form is lampoon, spelled L-A-M-P-O-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A written attack or other work ridiculing a person, group, or institution; especially, a satirical one.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To say truth, Ma'am, 'tis very vulgar to Print and as my little Productions are mostly Satires and Lampoons I find they circulate more by giving copies in confidence to the Friends of the Parties—
  2. "Dangerous things, sir—dangerous things!" exclaimed Mr. Lintot, drawing a deep breath of air from the open window: "do you know, sir, Curl published a lampoon on Lord Hervey the other day, who said that he would have horsewhipped him if he could have found his way into the city...

Etymology

From French lampon (“satire, mockery, ridicule”), built on French lampons (“let us drink — a popular refrain for scurrilous songs”), from lamper (“to quaff, to swig”). : Littré quotes a satirical song mocking King Jacques II Stuart, fleeing Dublin, in 1691, and returning to France under the escort of Lauzun: :: Prenez soin de ma couronne, J'aurai soin de ma personne ; ("Take care of my crown, I will take care of my person") Lampons ! lampons !

This word in other languages

sátira(Español)pasquin(Français)Pamphlet(Deutsch)libelo(Português)

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 "lampoon"?
"lampoon" is spelled L-A-M-P-O-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /læmˈpuːn/.
What does "lampoon" mean?
As a noun, "lampoon" means: A written attack or other work ridiculing a person, group, or institution; especially, a satirical one.
How do you pronounce "lampoon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lampoon" is /læmˈpuːn/. 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 "lampoon"?
From French lampon (“satire, mockery, ridicule”), built on French lampons (“let us drink — a popular refrain for scurrilous songs”), from lamper (“to quaff, to swig”). : Littré quotes a satirical song mocking King Jacques II Stuart, fleeing Dublin... 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 "lampoon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lambing#64,485lemming#64,494Komatsu#64,479Limburg#64,497

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list