pigtail
/ˈpɪɡ.teɪl/noun, verb
pigtail is spelled P-I-G-T-A-I-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pigtail means “The tail of a pig” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pigtail is pigtails.
How many letters and syllables are in pigtail?
| Letters | 7: P-I-G-T-A-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 75,877th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pigtail?
Pigtail appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pigtail?
- US /ˈpɪɡ.teɪl/
Pigtail has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pigtail.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pigtail
Also written: pig-tail (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pigtail
- pigtails plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pig-tail
- pigtailing participle, present
- pigtailed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pigtail mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The tail of a pig.
- 2
Tobacco twisted into a string or roll.
- 3
A braided plait of hair; queue.
- 4
Either of a pair of braids or tails worn on the sides of the head.
- 5
A hairstyle with a pair of pigtails.
- 6
colloquialA person who wears pigtails.
- 7
A short length of twisted electrical wire.
- 8
The flamingo flower (anthurium)
verb
- 1
To connect wires of a circuit by means of a short additional wire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pigtail in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Schweineschwanz , Zopf , Haarzopf, Zöpfchen , Anschlussdraht, Anschlussfaser |
| French | tresse, natte , couette, lulu |
| Portuguese | trança , maria-chiquinha, chiquinha |
| Spanish | coleta, trenza |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pigtail come from?
From pig + tail.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).