pikey

/ˈpaɪ.ki/

//ˈpaɪ.ki// noun

"pikey" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pike (type of fish).

Corpus desk

Index EN-pikey · pikey · English

pikey · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for pikey
PropertyValue
Headwordpikey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaɪ.ki/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pikey” in English

pikeyranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

pikey is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpaɪ.ki/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A pike (type of fish).".

pikey has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pike + -y. The correct English form is pikey, spelled P-I-K-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pike (type of fish).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The first time he comes to the surface of the water he gasps for breath, his huge mouth gapes, he gives his head a shake and out tumbles the bait, hooks and all, not one of them having had hold, and away goes pikey quite satisfied with his entertainment pro tem., and wondering what that ugly two-legged moster with the hop pole in his hand, and who looked…
  2. In 1876, in twelve fishings in the same months, there were caught 31 Pikeys, 4 Spotted Dogs, and 441 Nowds.

Etymology

From pike + -y.

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 "pikey"?
"pikey" is spelled P-I-K-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaɪ.ki/.
What does "pikey" mean?
As a noun, "pikey" means: A pike (type of fish).
How do you pronounce "pikey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pikey" is /ˈpaɪ.ki/. 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 "pikey"?
From pike + -y. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list