marlinspike
"marlinspike" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“marlinspike” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A tool, consisting of a pointed metal spike, used to manipulate the strands of rope or cable when knotting and splicing.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | marlinspike |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “marlinspike” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
marlinspike is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A tool, consisting of a pointed metal spike, used to manipulate the strands of rope or cable when knotting and splicing.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for marlinspike, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From marline + spike. The correct English form is marlinspike, spelled M-A-R-L-I-N-S-P-I-K-E.
Definition
- 1A tool, consisting of a pointed metal spike, used to manipulate the strands of rope or cable when knotting and splicing.
Etymology
From marline + spike.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “marlinspike”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-R-L-I-N-S-P-I-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.