mountain lion

noun

"mountain-lion" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mountain lion” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cougar, Puma concolor.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mountain-lion · mountain lion · English

mountain lion · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for mountain lion
PropertyValue
Headwordmountain lion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mountain lion” in English

mountain lionfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mountain lion is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A cougar, Puma concolor.".

mountain lion has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mountain (“the animal's habitat”), + lion (“an African cat of similar size and color”). First use appears c. 1615. The correct English form is mountain lion, spelled M-O-U-N-T-A-I-N- -L-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cougar, Puma concolor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The mountain lion may prowl here during any month.

Etymology

From mountain (“the animal's habitat”), + lion (“an African cat of similar size and color”). First use appears c. 1615.

Synonyms

American lioncatamountcougardeer tigerFelis concolorghost catIndian ghostmountain ghostpainted catpainterpumared tiger

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

How do you spell "mountain lion"?
"mountain lion" is spelled M-O-U-N-T-A-I-N- -L-I-O-N.
What does "mountain lion" mean?
As a noun, "mountain lion" means: A cougar, Puma concolor.
What is the origin of the word "mountain lion"?
From mountain (“the animal's habitat”), + lion (“an African cat of similar size and color”). First use appears c. 1615. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list