pig

/pɪɡ/

//pɪɡ// noun

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

"pig" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pig” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,724 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,724
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several mammalian species of the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a snout adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pig vs PM
0% similar
pig vs PP
0% similar
pig vs PR
0% similar

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

Key facts for pig
PropertyValue
Headwordpig
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɪɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#5,724
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pig” 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). pig lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for pig is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɪɡ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,724 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 20 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

pig has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PM", "PP", "PR", 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 pigge (“pig, piglet”) (originally a term for a young pig, with adult pigs being swyn (“swine”)), from Old English *picga, *pycga (attested in picgbrēad (“mast, pig-fodder”)), perhaps a diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *puk, *pūk (“pig”)… The correct English form is pig, spelled P-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several mammalian species of the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a snout adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus.
  2. 2
    Any of several mammalian species of the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a snout adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus.
  3. 3
    The edible meat of such an animal; pork.
  4. 4
    A light pinkish-red colour, like that of a pig (also called pig pink).
  5. 5
    Someone who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.
  6. 6
    A lecherous or sexist man.
  7. 7
    A dirty or slovenly person.
  8. 8
    An obese person.
  9. 9
    A police officer.
  10. 10
    A difficult problem.
  11. 11
    An oblong block of cast metal (now only iron or lead).
  12. 12
    The mold in which a block of metal is cast.
  13. 13
    A lead container used for radioactive waste.
  14. 14
    A device for cleaning or inspecting the inside of an oil or gas pipeline, or for separating different substances within the pipeline. Named for the pig-like squealing noise made by their progress.
  15. 15
    The general-purpose M60 machine gun, considered to be heavy and bulky.
  16. 16
    A simple dice game in which players roll the dice as many times as they like, either accumulating a greater score or losing previous points gained.
  17. 17
    A sixpence.
  18. 18
    A Cadillac car.
  19. 19
    A Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
  20. 20
    The victim of a pig butchering scam.

Etymology

From Middle English pigge (“pig, piglet”) (originally a term for a young pig, with adult pigs being swyn (“swine”)), from Old English *picga, *pycga (attested in picgbrēad (“mast, pig-fodder”)), perhaps a diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *puk, *pūk (“pig”), which also gave rise to Middle Low German pûke, puyke (“pig, piglet”). Pokorny suggests this root might be somehow related to *bū-, *bew- (“to blow; swell”), which could account for the alternation between "pig" and "big". Compare Middle Dutch pogge, puggen, pigge, pegsken (> dialectal Dutch pogge (“piglet”)), Middle Low German pugge (> Westphalian German Low German Pogge, Pugge, Püggsken (“pig, piglet”)). A connection to early modern Dutch bigge (modern Dutch big (“piglet”)), West Frisian bigge (“piglet”), German Low German Bigge, Bigg (“piglet”), and Saterland Frisian Bikkie (“piggy”) is sometimes proposed, "but the phonology is difficult". Some sources say the words are "almost certainly not" related, others consider a relation "probable, but not certain". The slang sense of "police officer" is attested since at least 1785.

Synonyms

gricehogoinkerpigpiggyporkersquealerswine

This word in other languages

cerdo(Español)cochon(Français)Schwein(Deutsch)porco(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 "pig"?
"pig" is spelled P-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is /pɪɡ/.
What does "pig" mean?
As a noun, "pig" means: Any of several mammalian species of the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a snout adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus.
What words are commonly confused with "pig"?
"pig" is commonly confused with "PM", "PP", "PR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pig" is /pɪɡ/. 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 "pig"?
From Middle English pigge (“pig, piglet”) (originally a term for a young pig, with adult pigs being swyn (“swine”)), from Old English *picga, *pycga (attested in picgbrēad (“mast, pig-fodder”)), perhaps a diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *puk, *p... 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 “pig”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-I-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɪɡ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “PM” - see the side-by-side comparison. pig vs PM
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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