orangutan

/əˌɹæŋ.uːˈtæn/

//əˌɹæŋ.uːˈtæn// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"orangutan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“orangutan” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,126. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,126
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An arboreal ape, characterised by their shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, which comprise the genus Pongo, native to Borneo and Sumatra.

Corpus desk

Index EN-orangutan · orangutan · English

orangutan · rank #37,126 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,126
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH ooze

Nearest frequency peer: ooze (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “orangutan”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “orangutan” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for orangutan
PropertyValue
Headwordorangutan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˌɹæŋ.uːˈtæn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#37,126
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “orangutan”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).orangutanlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ooze” (#37,125), “olde” (#37,124), “oregano” (#37,128). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “orangutan” is #37,126. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around orangutan (IPA /əˌɹæŋ.uːˈtæn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,126 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An arboreal ape, characterised by their shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, which comprise the genus Pongo, native to Borneo and Sumatra.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for orangutan, with forms such as "oarngutan", "oragnutan", and "oranggutan". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably via Dutch orang-oetan, orang-oetang, apparently from Malay orang hutan, orang utan (literally “forest man”), from orang (“person, man”) + hutan (“forest”), although as a term for the animal it is attested only recently (earlier and preferred terms … The correct English form is orangutan, spelled O-R-A-N-G-U-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An arboreal ape, characterised by their shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, which comprise the genus Pongo, native to Borneo and Sumatra.

Etymology

Probably via Dutch orang-oetan, orang-oetang, apparently from Malay orang hutan, orang utan (literally “forest man”), from orang (“person, man”) + hutan (“forest”), although as a term for the animal it is attested only recently (earlier and preferred terms being mawas and mayas). As there is originally no evidence for its usage, except occasionally literally, it must be assumed to have been regional, or a descriptive collocation used to explain the animal to early travellers. Forms in -ng are alterations after the first element, orang. The name orangutan has been used in Old Javanese texts, notably in Rāmāyaṇa and Smaradahana, in the form of uraṅutan and wuraṅutan. Its usage to refer to the apes in these texts (from as early as the 9th century CE) has been seen as a refutation of claims that the name orangutan originates from a European source.

This word in other languages

orangután(Español)orang-outan(Français)Orang-Utan(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oarngutan
  • oragnutan
  • oranggutan
  • orangtuan
  • oranguatn
  • orangutann
  • orangutna
  • oranguttan
  • oranngutan
  • oranugtan
  • ornagutan
  • orrangutan
  • roangutan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of orangutan - 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.

oarngutan2oragnutan2oranggutan1orangtuan2oranguatn2orangutann1orangutna2oranguttan1
Edit distance from "orangutan"

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 "orangutan"?
"orangutan" is spelled O-R-A-N-G-U-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /əˌɹæŋ.uːˈtæn/.
What does "orangutan" mean?
As a noun, "orangutan" means: An arboreal ape, characterised by their shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, which comprise the genus Pongo, native to Borneo and Sumatra.
What are common misspellings of "orangutan"?
Common misspellings include "oarngutan", "oragnutan", "oranggutan", "orangtuan", "oranguatn". The correct spelling is "orangutan".
How do you pronounce "orangutan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "orangutan" is /əˌɹæŋ.uːˈtæn/. 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 "orangutan"?
Probably via Dutch orang-oetan, orang-oetang, apparently from Malay orang hutan, orang utan (literally “forest man”), from orang (“person, man”) + hutan (“forest”), although as a term for the animal it is attested only recently (earlier and prefer... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "orangutan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Palisades#37,138microcosm#37,094Mennonite#37,091politburo#37,161

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

lowercase13 variantslavishly13 variantsresonator13 variantsimmaturity13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list