pick

/pɪk/

//pɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pick” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #881. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#881
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tool used for digging; a pickaxe.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pick · pick · English

pick · rank #881 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #881
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Michael

Nearest frequency peer: Michael (-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 “pick”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pick” 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).

pick vs PK
0% similar
pick vs pin
50% similar
pick vs pit
50% similar

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

Key facts for pick
PropertyValue
Headwordpick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɪk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#881
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pick”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).picklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Michael” (#880), “race” (#882), “lose” (#879). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pick” is #881. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around pick (IPA /pɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #881 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 18 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pick, with forms such as "ipck", "pcik", and "picck". 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, "PK", "pin", "pit", 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 piken, picken, pikken, from Old English *piccian, *pīcian (attested in pīcung (“a pricking”)), and pīcan, pȳcan (“to pick, prick, pluck”), both from Proto-West Germanic *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to pick, peck, prick, knock”… The correct English form is pick, spelled P-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tool used for digging; a pickaxe.
  2. 2
    An anchor.
  3. 3
    A pointed hammer used for dressing millstones.
  4. 4
    A tool for unlocking a lock without the original key; a lock pick, picklock.
  5. 5
    A comb with long widely spaced teeth, for use with tightly curled hair.
  6. 6
    A tool used for strumming the strings of a guitar; a plectrum.
  7. 7
    A pike or spike; the sharp point fixed in the center of a buckler.
  8. 8
    A choice; ability to choose.
  9. 9
    That which would be picked or chosen first; the best.
  10. 10
    Pasture; feed, for animals.
  11. 11
    A screen.
  12. 12
    An offensive tactic in which a player stands so as to block a defender from reaching a teammate.
  13. 13
    An interception.
  14. 14
    A good defensive play by an infielder.
  15. 15
    A pickoff.
  16. 16
    A particle of ink or paper embedded in the hollow of a letter, filling up its face, and causing a spot on a printed sheet.
  17. 17
    That which is picked in, as with a pointed pencil, to correct an unevenness in a picture.
  18. 18
    The blow that drives the shuttle, used in calculating the speed of a loom (in picks per minute); hence, in describing the fineness of a fabric, a weft thread.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It's better to amble around, drop the "pick" for a lunchtime swim or beachcomb, then find a nice anchorage for the night.
  2. Take down my buckler […] and grind the pick on 't.

Etymology

From Middle English piken, picken, pikken, from Old English *piccian, *pīcian (attested in pīcung (“a pricking”)), and pīcan, pȳcan (“to pick, prick, pluck”), both from Proto-West Germanic *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to pick, peck, prick, knock”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew-, *bu- (“to make a dull, hollow sound”). Doublet of pitch and peck. Cognate with Dutch pikken (“to pick”), German picken (“to pick, peck”), Old Norse pikka, pjakka (whence Icelandic pikka (“to pick, prick”), Swedish picka (“to pick, peck”)). Compare also German Low German puken (“to pick out, rip out, pull away, extract”).

This word in other languages

pico(Español)pioche(Français)Hacke(Deutsch)picareta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ipck
  • pcik
  • picck
  • pickk
  • pikc
  • ppick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pick - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ipck2pcik2picck1pickk1pikc2ppick1
Edit distance from "pick"

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 "pick"?
"pick" is spelled P-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /pɪk/.
What does "pick" mean?
As a noun, "pick" means: A tool used for digging; a pickaxe.
What words are commonly confused with "pick"?
"pick" is commonly confused with "PK", "pin", "pit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pick" is /pɪk/. 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 "pick"?
From Middle English piken, picken, pikken, from Old English *piccian, *pīcian (attested in pīcung (“a pricking”)), and pīcan, pȳcan (“to pick, prick, pluck”), both from Proto-West Germanic *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to pick, peck, pri... 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 "pick", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

race#882lose#879seem#883sign#885

Similar misspelling depth

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

staff6 variantssuper6 variantsunion6 variantswalk6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list