octagon

Name: octagon, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/

//ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“octagon” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,520. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,520
frequency rank, English: 15,494
“O” headwords: 10
tracked misspellings: 2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A polygon with eight sides and eight angles.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

octagon vs Otago

57% similar

octagon vs octagonal

78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for octagon
Property	Value
Headword	octagon
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#32,520
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	2
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “octagon” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). octagon lands here:

#32,520

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around octagon (IPA /ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,520 among 15,494 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for octagon, with forms such as "cotagon", "ocatgon", and "occtagon". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Otago", "octagonal", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin octagōnon, octōgōnon (“octagon”), and from its etymon Ancient Greek ὀκτάγωνον (oktágōnon, “octagon”), probably from Koine Greek ὀκτάγωνος (oktágōnos, “having eight corners”) + -ον (-on, suffix forming nouns). ὀκτάγωνος is derived from ὀκτᾰ- (oktă… The correct English form is octagon, spelled O-C-T-A-G-O-N.

Definition

1
A polygon with eight sides and eight angles.
2
Often in the form Octagon: the arena for mixed martial arts.

Etymology

From Latin octagōnon, octōgōnon (“octagon”), and from its etymon Ancient Greek ὀκτάγωνον (oktágōnon, “octagon”), probably from Koine Greek ὀκτάγωνος (oktágōnos, “having eight corners”) + -ον (-on, suffix forming nouns). ὀκτάγωνος is derived from ὀκτᾰ- (oktă-, prefix meaning ‘eight’) (from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw (“eight”)) + γωνία (gōnía, “angle; corner”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu (“knee”)); analysable as octa- + -gon. The English word is cognate with Middle French octogone (modern French octogone), Italian octagono (obsolete), ottagono, Spanish octágono, octógono. Sense 2 (“arena for mixed martial arts”) refers to its shape.

Synonyms

8-gon

This word in other languages

octágono(Español)octogone(Français)Achteck(Deutsch)octógono(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

cotagon
ocatgon
occtagon
octaggon
octagno
octagonn
octaogn
octgaon
octtagon
otcagon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of octagon - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "octagon"

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 "octagon"?

"octagon" is spelled O-C-T-A-G-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/.

What does "octagon" mean?

As a noun, "octagon" means: A polygon with eight sides and eight angles.

What words are commonly confused with "octagon"?

"octagon" is commonly confused with "Otago", "octagonal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "octagon"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "octagon" is /ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/. 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 "octagon"?

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.

Using “octagon”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is O-C-T-A-G-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɒktəɡ(ə)n/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “Otago” - see the side-by-side comparison. octagon vs Otago
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.