ornithologist

/ˌɔːnɪˈθɒləd͡ʒɪst/

//ˌɔːnɪˈθɒləd͡ʒɪst// noun

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

"ornithologist" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ornithologist” is uncommon English (frequency #70,137 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,137
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who studies or practices ornithology.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ornithologist · ornithologist · English

ornithologist · rank #70,137 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,137
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH orf

Nearest frequency peer: orf (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “ornithologist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ornithologist” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ornithologist
PropertyValue
Headwordornithologist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɔːnɪˈθɒləd͡ʒɪst/
Letters13
Frequency rank#70,137
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ornithologist” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “orf” (#70,136), “Oort” (#70,135), “overburden” (#70,139). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ornithologist” is #70,137. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ornithologist is uncommon English at frequency #70,137 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɔːnɪˈθɒləd͡ʒɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A person who studies or practices ornithology.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ornithologist, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ornithology + -ist. The correct English form is ornithologist, spelled O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who studies or practices ornithology.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mr. Worple in his spare time was what is known as an ornithologist. He had written a book called American Birds, and was writing another, to be called More American Birds.
  2. Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported […] that pine siskins (Spinus pinus) undergo an irregular, nomadic type of nocturnal migration.

Etymology

From ornithology + -ist.

This word in other languages

ornitólogo(Español)ornithologue(Français)Ornithologe(Deutsch)

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 "ornithologist"?
"ornithologist" is spelled O-R-N-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɔːnɪˈθɒləd͡ʒɪst/.
What does "ornithologist" mean?
As a noun, "ornithologist" means: A person who studies or practices ornithology.
How do you pronounce "ornithologist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ornithologist" is /ˌɔːnɪˈθɒləd͡ʒɪst/. 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 "ornithologist"?
From ornithology + -ist. 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 "ornithologist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

overpopulated#70,140steadfastness#70,293unfamiliarity#70,360unimpeachable#70,363

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list