mongoose
/ˈmɑŋ.ɡus/noun
mongoose is spelled M-O-N-G-O-O-S-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mongoose means “Any of several species of generalist predatory carnivores in the family Herpestidae; the various species range in size from rats to large cats.…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mongoose is mongooses; Wiktionary also lists mongeese (hypercorrect).
How many letters and syllables are in mongoose?
| Letters | 8: M-O-N-G-O-O-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is mongoose?
Mongoose appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th 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 mongoose?
- UK /ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/
- US /ˈmɑŋ.ɡus/
- US /ˈmʌŋ.ɡus/
Mongoose has 2 syllables (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mongoose.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-mongoose.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mongoose
- mongooses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mongoose mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
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, though other mongoose species have similar habits.
- 2
Any 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mongoose in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small carnivore of the family Herpestidae:
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 mongoose come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).