loon
/ˈluːn/noun
loon is spelled L-O-O-N: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, loon means “A crazy or deranged person; a lunatic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of loon is loons.
How many letters and syllables are in loon?
| Letters | 4: L-O-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is loon?
Loon appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce loon?
- /ˈluːn/
Loon has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-loon.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with loon?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as loon.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: nolo.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of loon
- loons plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does loon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
slangA crazy or deranged person; a lunatic.
- 2
obsoleteAn idler, a lout.
- 3
ScotlandA boy, a lad.
- 4
ScotlandA harlot; mistress.
- 5
ScotlandA simpleton.
- 6
IrelandAn English soldier of an expeditionary army in Ireland.
- 7
A round area of pavement that protrudes from one side of a road to accommodate turning vehicles with a wide turning circle.
- 8
Clipping of balloon.
- 9
CanadaUSAny of various birds, of the order Gaviiformes, of North America and Europe that dive for fish and have a short tail, webbed feet and a yodeling cry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Loon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Traumtänzer, Faulenzer , Bekloppter, Verrückter, Irrer, Spinner |
| French | fou , plongeon, huard |
| Portuguese | doido, louco, maluco , mobelha, mergulhão |
| Spanish | lunático , colimbo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does loon come from?
From Middle English louen, lowen (“rascal; rogue”), probably of Middle Dutch or Middle Low German origin. Compare Dutch loen (“simpleton”). Or, related to etymology 2, due to the bird's loud cry. Folk etymology associates it slang-wise with lunatic, though the latter may have influenced it; see loony.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).