pig iron

noun

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

The verdict

“pig iron” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of crude, brittle iron shaped like a block, unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, commonly used as an industrial raw material.

Key facts for pig iron
PropertyValue
Headwordpig iron
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pig iron” sits in English frequency

pig iron falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pig iron is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A type of crude, brittle iron shaped like a block, unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, commonly used as an industrial raw material.".

pig iron doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pig (“oblong block of cast metal”) + iron. The correct English form is pig iron, spelled P-I-G- -I-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of crude, brittle iron shaped like a block, unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, commonly used as an industrial raw material.

Etymology

From pig (“oblong block of cast metal”) + iron.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pig iron"?
"pig iron" is spelled P-I-G- -I-R-O-N.
What does "pig iron" mean?
As a noun, "pig iron" means: A type of crude, brittle iron shaped like a block, unsuitable for working but suitable for casting, commonly used as an industrial raw material.
What is the origin of the word "pig iron"?
From pig (“oblong block of cast metal”) + iron. 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 iron”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-I-G- -I-R-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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