pelican

/ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/

//ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pelican” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,549. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,549
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pelican · pelican · English

pelican · rank #26,549 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #26,549
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pegged

Nearest frequency peer: pegged (-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 “pelican”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pelican” 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).

pelican vs pecan
71% similar

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

Key facts for pelican
PropertyValue
Headwordpelican
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,549
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pelican”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pelicanlands 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 “pegged” (#26,548), “Pembroke” (#26,550), “pediatrician” (#26,547). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pelican” is #26,549. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around pelican (IPA /ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,549 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for pelican, with forms such as "eplican", "peilcan", and "pelcian". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "pecan", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”). The correct English form is pelican, spelled P-E-L-I-C-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
  2. 2
    A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
  3. 3
    A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.
  4. 4
    A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
  5. 5
    A waterbomber.
  6. 6
    An ageing prostitute.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The old have outlived that mental world we so misname in calling it a world of enjoyment;—they have outlived the feverish dreams which waste those keen hopes—the pelicans of the heart, feeding on the life-blood of their parent;—they have now no part in the excitement of success, whether in its desire or disappointment.
  2. Pelicans fly below us with stiffly formal strokes, and gulls wheel and keen.

Etymology

From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).

This word in other languages

pelícano(Español)pélican(Français)Pelikan(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eplican
  • peilcan
  • pelcian
  • peliacn
  • pelicann
  • peliccan
  • pelicna
  • pellican
  • pleican
  • ppelican

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eplican2peilcan2pelcian2peliacn2pelicann1peliccan1pelicna2pellican1
Edit distance from "pelican"

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 "pelican"?
"pelican" is spelled P-E-L-I-C-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/.
What does "pelican" mean?
As a noun, "pelican" means: Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
What words are commonly confused with "pelican"?
"pelican" is commonly confused with "pecan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pelican"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pelican" is /ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/. 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 "pelican"?
From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”). 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 "pelican", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

O'Leary#26,528nouveau#26,526roanoke#26,580sacking#26,587

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Pacquiao10 variantsnauseous10 variantsscarring10 variantsmistook10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list