pickerel

/ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl/

//ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl// noun

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

"pickerel" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pickerel” is uncommon English (frequency #87,676 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,676
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A freshwater fish of the genus Esox.

Key facts for pickerel
PropertyValue
Headwordpickerel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#87,676
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pickerel” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pickerel is uncommon English at frequency #87,676 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pickerel, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pikerel; equivalent to pike + -rel. The correct English form is pickerel, spelled P-I-C-K-E-R-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A freshwater fish of the genus Esox.
  2. 2
    Walleye, A species of gamefish, Sander vitreus, native to the Northern U.S. and Canada with pale, reflective eyes.
  3. 3
    A wading bird, the dunlin.

Etymology

From Middle English pikerel; equivalent to pike + -rel.

This word in other languages

Hecht(Deutsch)lúcio(Português)

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 "pickerel"?
"pickerel" is spelled P-I-C-K-E-R-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl/.
What does "pickerel" mean?
As a noun, "pickerel" means: A freshwater fish of the genus Esox.
How do you pronounce "pickerel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pickerel" is /ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl/. 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 "pickerel"?
From Middle English pikerel; equivalent to pike + -rel. 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.

Using “pickerel”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-I-C-K-E-R-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɪk(ə)ɹəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list