moonwalk
/ˈmuːnwɔːk/
"moonwalk" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“moonwalk” is uncommon English (frequency #66,847 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #66,847
- frequency rank, English
- 36,575
- “M” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An exploration of the Moon's surface on foot by an astronaut.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | moonwalk |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmuːnwɔːk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #66,847 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “moonwalk” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
moonwalk is uncommon English at frequency #66,847 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmuːnwɔːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for moonwalk in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Moon + walk. * (backslide): Coined by Michael Jackson in 1983, when popularizing the backslide and renaming it. The correct English form is moonwalk, spelled M-O-O-N-W-A-L-K.
Definition
- 1An exploration of the Moon's surface on foot by an astronaut.
- 2Activity on the Moon, outside any moonbase, exposed to space, by an astronaut
- 3A dance move in which the dancer slides backwards though the feet move as if walking forwards; the backslide.
- 4A dance style in which the dancer appears to be moving in a low gravity environment.
Etymology
From Moon + walk. * (backslide): Coined by Michael Jackson in 1983, when popularizing the backslide and renaming it.
Synonyms
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); 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
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Using “moonwalk”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-O-N-W-A-L-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmuːnwɔːk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.