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pennant

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "pennant", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "pennant" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "pennant" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

pennant is aEnglishnoun. It means: A flag normally used by naval vessels to represent a special condition. Pronounced /ˈpɛnənt/. Often confused with penning and pregnant.

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 rank visualization

Position of pennant in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pennant is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɛnənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,361 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for pennant, with forms such as "epnnant", "penannt", and "penant". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "penning", "pregnant", "Penang", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is pennant, spelled P-E-N-N-A-N-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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.

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

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: epnnant,penannt,penant,pennannt,pennantt,pennatn,pennnat,pnenant,ppennant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for pennant

Misspelling Variants of "pennant"

epnnant7penannt7penant6pennannt8pennantt8pennatn7pennnat7pnenant7
Misspelling Variants of "pennant"

Frequency rank: #33,361 in English

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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter P in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.