pennant

/ˈpɛnənt/

//ˈpɛnənt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pennant” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,361. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,361
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A flag normally used by naval vessels to represent a special condition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pennant · pennant · English

pennant · rank #33,361 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,361
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pelt

Nearest frequency peer: pelt (-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 “pennant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pennant” 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).

pennant vs penning
71% similar
pennant vs pregnant
75% similar
pennant vs Penang
57% similar

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

Key facts for pennant
PropertyValue
Headwordpennant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛnənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,361
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pennant”

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).pennantlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “pelt” (#33,360), “perfectionist” (#33,362), “Pattinson” (#33,359). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pennant” is #33,361. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around pennant (IPA /ˈpɛnənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,361 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pennant, with forms such as "epnnant", "penannt", and "penant". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "penning", "pregnant", "Penang", 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 penon, penoun, pynoun, Old French penon, French pennon, from Latin penna (“feather”). See pen (“a feather”), and compare pennon, pinion. The correct English form is pennant, spelled P-E-N-N-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A flag normally used by naval vessels to represent a special condition.
  2. 2
    A flag normally used by naval vessels to represent a special condition.
  3. 3
    A flag normally used by naval vessels to represent a special condition.
  4. 4
    A small flag with pointed end, formerly carried by cavalry or other mounted troops to serve as a rallying point or ceremonial unit identification.
  5. 5
    The winning of a competition, represented by a flag.
  6. 6
    A commemorative flag, traditionally triangular and made of felt, typically used to show support for a particular athletic team.
  7. 7
    A rope or strap to which a purchase is hooked.
  8. 8
    A sandstone between coal measures in parts of South Wales
  9. 9
    Either of two species of libellulid dragonfly of the genus Macrodiplax, of the tropics and subtropics.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The New York Yankees have won the American League pennant far more often than any other team.

Etymology

From Middle English penon, penoun, pynoun, Old French penon, French pennon, from Latin penna (“feather”). See pen (“a feather”), and compare pennon, pinion.

This word in other languages

gallardete(Español)fanion(Français)Wimpel(Deutsch)flâmula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epnnant
  • penannt
  • penant
  • pennannt
  • pennantt
  • pennatn
  • pennnat
  • pnenant
  • ppennant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

epnnant2penannt2penant1pennannt1pennantt1pennatn2pennnat2pnenant2
Edit distance from "pennant"

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 "pennant"?
"pennant" is spelled P-E-N-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛnənt/.
What does "pennant" mean?
As a noun, "pennant" means: A flag normally used by naval vessels to represent a special condition.
What words are commonly confused with "pennant"?
"pennant" is commonly confused with "penning", "pregnant", "Penang". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pennant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pennant" is /ˈpɛnənt/. 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 "pennant"?
From Middle English penon, penoun, pynoun, Old French penon, French pennon, from Latin penna (“feather”). See pen (“a feather”), and compare pennon, pinion. 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 "pennant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

poppies#33,371priming#33,376rebrand#33,389Miocene#33,331

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

osprey9 variantspraxis9 variantsprimes9 variantsquench9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list