pinna

Name: pinna, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈpɪnə/

//ˈpɪnə// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“pinna” is uncommon English (frequency #84,611 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,611
frequency rank, English: 46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The visible part of the ear in most therians that resides outside of the head, the auricle; outer ear excluding the ear canal.

Key facts for pinna
Property	Value
Headword	pinna
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈpɪnə/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#84,611
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pinna” 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). pinna lands here:

#84,611

#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

pinna is uncommon English at frequency #84,611 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɪnə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pinna, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin pinna (“dorsal fin; wing, feather”). Doublet of pen, penna, and panne. The correct English form is pinna, spelled P-I-N-N-A.

Definition

1
The visible part of the ear in most therians that resides outside of the head, the auricle; outer ear excluding the ear canal.
2
A leaflet or primary segment of a pinnate compound leaf.
3
A feather, wing, fin, or other similar appendage.

Etymology

From Latin pinna (“dorsal fin; wing, feather”). Doublet of pen, penna, and panne.

This word in other languages

aurícula(Español)pavillon(Français)Ohrmuschel(Deutsch)orelha(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 "pinna"?

"pinna" is spelled P-I-N-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪnə/.

What does "pinna" mean?

As a noun, "pinna" means: The visible part of the ear in most therians that resides outside of the head, the auricle; outer ear excluding the ear canal.

How do you pronounce "pinna"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pinna" is /ˈpɪnə/. 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 "pinna"?

From Latin pinna (“dorsal fin; wing, feather”). Doublet of pen, penna, and panne. 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 “pinna”

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

The one correct English spelling is P-I-N-N-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈpɪnə/ (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.