pack

/pæk/

//pæk// noun

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

"pack" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pack” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,224. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,224
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pack · pack · English

pack · rank #2,224 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,224
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 46,516
  • PHOTO-FINISH milk

Nearest frequency peer: milk (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pack”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pack” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pack vs PC
0% similar
pack vs PK
0% similar
pack vs pay
50% similar

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

Key facts for pack
PropertyValue
Headwordpack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pæk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,224
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pack” 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). pack lands here:

#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 6 spelling variants around pack (IPA /pæk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,224 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 20 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pack, with forms such as "apck", "pacck", and "packk". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PC", "PK", "pay", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pak, pakke, from Old English *pæcca and/or Middle Dutch pak, packe; both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *pakkō, from Proto-Germanic *pakkô (“bundle, pack”). Cognate with Dutch pak (“pack”), Low German Pack (“pack”), German Pack (“pa… The correct English form is pack, spelled P-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale.
  2. 2
    A number or quantity equal to the contents of a pack
  3. 3
    A multitude.
  4. 4
    A number or quantity of connected or similar things; a collective.
  5. 5
    A full set of playing cards
  6. 6
    The assortment of playing cards used in a particular game.
  7. 7
    A group of hounds or dogs, hunting or kept together.
  8. 8
    A wolfpack: a number of wolves, hunting together.
  9. 9
    A flock of knots.
  10. 10
    A group of people associated or leagued in a bad design or practice; a gang.
  11. 11
    A group of Cub Scouts.
  12. 12
    A shook of cask staves.
  13. 13
    A bundle of sheet iron plates for rolling simultaneously.
  14. 14
    A large area of floating pieces of ice driven together more or less closely.
  15. 15
    An envelope, or wrapping, of sheets used in hydropathic practice, called dry pack, wet pack, cold pack, etc., according to the method of treatment.
  16. 16
    A loose, lewd, or worthless person.
  17. 17
    A tight group of object balls in cue sports. Usually the reds in snooker.
  18. 18
    The forwards in a rugby team (eight in Rugby Union, six in Rugby League) who with the opposing pack constitute the scrum.
  19. 19
    The largest group of blockers from both teams skating in close proximity.
  20. 20
    A package of cigarettes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The horses carried the packs across the plain.
  2. We do not ask him to make up his mind, but to make up his pack.

Etymology

From Middle English pak, pakke, from Old English *pæcca and/or Middle Dutch pak, packe; both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *pakkō, from Proto-Germanic *pakkô (“bundle, pack”). Cognate with Dutch pak (“pack”), Low German Pack (“pack”), German Pack (“pack”), Swedish packe (“pack”), Icelandic pakka, pakki (“package”).

Synonyms

deck

This word in other languages

paquete(Español)pack(Français)Pack(Deutsch)fardo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apck
  • pacck
  • packk
  • pakc
  • pcak
  • ppack

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apck2pacck1packk1pakc2pcak2ppack1
Edit distance from "pack"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pack"?
"pack" is spelled P-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /pæk/.
What does "pack" mean?
As a noun, "pack" means: A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale.
What words are commonly confused with "pack"?
"pack" is commonly confused with "PC", "PK", "pay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pack" is /pæk/. 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 "pack"?
From Middle English pak, pakke, from Old English *pæcca and/or Middle Dutch pak, packe; both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *pakkō, from Proto-Germanic *pakkô (“bundle, pack”). Cognate with Dutch pak (“pack”), Low German Pack (“pack”), German... 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 "pack", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

milk#2,223snow#2,231weak#2,237hole#2,206

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

guns6 variantschain6 variantsequal6 variantsabuse6 variants
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list