mongoose
/ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/
"mongoose" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mongoose” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,266 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #43,266
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several species of generalist predatory carnivores in the family Herpestidae; the various species range in size from rats to large cats. Indian mongooses are predators of venomous snakes, th...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mongoose |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #43,266 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mongoose” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mongoose is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,266 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for mongoose, with forms such as "mmongoose", "mnogoose", and "mognoose". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Montrose", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 1690s. Borrowed from Portuguese manguço, from Marathi मुंगूस (muṅgūs), from Old Marathi 𑘦𑘳𑘽𑘐𑘳𑘭 (muṃgusa). Ultimately a Dravidian borrowing (compare Telugu ముంగిస (muṅgisa)), from Proto-Dravidian *mūnkūc- (“mongoose”). Spelling al… The correct English form is mongoose, spelled M-O-N-G-O-O-S-E.
Definition
- 1Any of several species of generalist predatory carnivores in the family Herpestidae; the various species range in size from rats to large cats. Indian mongooses are predators of venomous snakes, though other mongoose species have similar habits.
- 2Any members of family Eupleridae of Malagasy mongooses, only distantly related to the Herpestidae, but resembling them in appearance and habits, with larger ears and ringed tails.
Etymology
First attested in the 1690s. Borrowed from Portuguese manguço, from Marathi मुंगूस (muṅgūs), from Old Marathi 𑘦𑘳𑘽𑘐𑘳𑘭 (muṃgusa). Ultimately a Dravidian borrowing (compare Telugu ముంగిస (muṅgisa)), from Proto-Dravidian *mūnkūc- (“mongoose”). Spelling altered by folk-etymological association with goose. Displaced native Old English nǣderbita (literally “snake biter”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mmongoose,mnogoose,mognoose,monggoose,mongooes,mongoosse,mongose,mongosoe,monngoose,monogose,omngoose
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mongoose - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "mongoose"?
What does "mongoose" mean?
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Using “mongoose”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-N-G-O-O-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Montrose” - see the side-by-side comparison. mongoose vs Montrose
- 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.