moccasin

/ˈmɒkəsɪn/

//ˈmɒkəsɪn// noun

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

"moccasin" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“moccasin” is uncommon English (frequency #66,840 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,840
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traditional Native North American shoe, usually without a heel or sole, made of a piece of deerskin or other soft leather turned up at the edges which are either stitched together at the top of t...

Corpus desk

Index EN-moccasin · moccasin · English

moccasin · rank #66,840 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,840
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH monasticism

Nearest frequency peer: monasticism (+4 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 “moccasin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for moccasin
PropertyValue
Headwordmoccasin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɒkəsɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#66,840
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “moccasin” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).moccasinfalls 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: “monasticism” (#66,844), “Middleburg” (#66,835), “monoculture” (#66,845). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moccasin” is #66,840. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

moccasin is uncommon English at frequency #66,840 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɒkəsɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for moccasin in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Powhatan makasin, mockasin, mawhcasuns (plural), from Proto-Algonquian *maxkeseni. The word is cognate with Massachusett mohkisson, mokussin, Mi'kmaq mksɨn, Munsee mahkusin, Ojibwe makizin. First appears c. 1612 in the writings of John Smith. It has be… The correct English form is moccasin, spelled M-O-C-C-A-S-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional Native North American shoe, usually without a heel or sole, made of a piece of deerskin or other soft leather turned up at the edges which are either stitched together at the top of the shoe, or sewn to a vamp (a piece covering the top of the foot).
  2. 2
    A modern shoe with either a low or no heel resembling a traditional Native American moccasin in that the leather forming the sides of the shoe is stitched at the top.
  3. 3
    A light beige colour, like that of a moccasin.
  4. 4
    Any of several North American snakes of the genus Agkistrodon, particularly the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and the cottonmouth or water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The term Chippewa, which is generally applied to this nation, is derived from that of O̓ˊche̓pe̓ˊwa̓g, which they restrict to the Indians who reside near Fond du Lac, it signifies plaited shoes, from the fashion among those Indians of puckering their moccassins.
  2. At length Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly towards his son, and demanded— / "Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of their moccasins in these woods?" / "I have been on their trail," replied the young Indian, "and know that they number as many as the fingers of my two hands; but they lie hid like cowards."

Etymology

From Powhatan makasin, mockasin, mawhcasuns (plural), from Proto-Algonquian *maxkeseni. The word is cognate with Massachusett mohkisson, mokussin, Mi'kmaq mksɨn, Munsee mahkusin, Ojibwe makizin. First appears c. 1612 in the writings of John Smith. It has been suggested that sense 4 (“North American snake”) may be derived from a different Native American word.

Synonyms

moc

This word in other languages

mocasín(Español)mocassin(Français)

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 "moccasin"?
"moccasin" is spelled M-O-C-C-A-S-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒkəsɪn/.
What does "moccasin" mean?
As a noun, "moccasin" means: A traditional Native North American shoe, usually without a heel or sole, made of a piece of deerskin or other soft leather turned up at the edges which are either stitched together at the top of t...
How do you pronounce "moccasin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moccasin" is /ˈmɒkəsɪn/. 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 "moccasin"?
From Powhatan makasin, mockasin, mawhcasuns (plural), from Proto-Algonquian *maxkeseni. The word is cognate with Massachusett mohkisson, mokussin, Mi'kmaq mksɨn, Munsee mahkusin, Ojibwe makizin. First appears c. 1612 in the writings of John Smith.... 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 "moccasin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

moonwalk#66,847magnesia#66,814noblesse#66,877Oakleigh#66,888

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list