panther

/ˈpænθɚ/

//ˈpænθɚ// noun

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

"panther" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“panther” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,119. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,119
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various big cats with black fur; most especially, the black-coated leopard of Africa and Asia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-panther · panther · English

panther · rank #12,119 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,119
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH panda

Nearest frequency peer: panda (-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 “panther”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “panther” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

panther vs punter
71% similar
panther vs panzer
71% similar
panther vs patter
71% similar

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

Key facts for panther
PropertyValue
Headwordpanther
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpænθɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,119
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “panther”

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).pantherlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “panda” (#12,118), “optic” (#12,117), “peas” (#12,121). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “panther” is #12,119. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around panther (IPA /ˈpænθɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,119 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for panther, with forms such as "apnther", "panhter", and "pannther". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "punter", "panzer", "patter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English panter, panther, pantere, from Old French pantere, from Latin panthēra, from Ancient Greek πάνθηρ (pánthēr, “panther”). The correct English form is panther, spelled P-A-N-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various big cats with black fur; most especially, the black-coated leopard of Africa and Asia.
  2. 2
    Any big cat of the genus Panthera.
  3. 3
    A cougar; especially the Florida panther.
  4. 4
    A girl, especially a young one, who pursues older men.
  5. 5
    A creature resembling a big cat, typically incensed (“emitting fire”), and often having a multicolored hide, found in Ancient Greek mythology and in medieval and later heraldry (in which its depiction sometimes approaches that of a horse).

Etymology

From Middle English panter, panther, pantere, from Old French pantere, from Latin panthēra, from Ancient Greek πάνθηρ (pánthēr, “panther”).

This word in other languages

pantera negra(Español)panthère noire(Français)Panther(Deutsch)pantera(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apnther
  • panhter
  • pannther
  • pantehr
  • pantherr
  • panthher
  • panthre
  • pantther
  • patnher
  • pnather
  • ppanther

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apnther2panhter2pannther1pantehr2pantherr1panthher1panthre2pantther1
Edit distance from "panther"

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 "panther"?
"panther" is spelled P-A-N-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpænθɚ/.
What does "panther" mean?
As a noun, "panther" means: Any of various big cats with black fur; most especially, the black-coated leopard of Africa and Asia.
What words are commonly confused with "panther"?
"panther" is commonly confused with "punter", "panzer", "patter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "panther"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "panther" is /ˈpænθɚ/. 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 "panther"?
From Middle English panter, panther, pantere, from Old French pantere, from Latin panthēra, from Ancient Greek πάνθηρ (pánthēr, “panther”). 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 "panther", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Perkins#12,122posture#12,123refresh#12,130salvage#12,133

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

obsolete11 variantsnarrowly11 variantsruthless11 variantslobster11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list