pitchfork

/ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk/

//ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk// noun

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

"pitchfork" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pitchfork” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,670. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,670
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An agricultural tool comprising a fork with sparse, light tines, attached to a long handle, used for pitching hay (especially loose hay) high up onto a stack (as on a wagon or haystack, or into a h...

Corpus desk

Index EN-pitchfork · pitchfork · English

pitchfork · rank #28,670 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,670
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH placid

Nearest frequency peer: placid (+1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pitchfork”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pitchfork” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pitchfork vs patchwork
78% similar

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

Key facts for pitchfork
PropertyValue
Headwordpitchfork
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,670
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pitchfork”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pitchforklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “placid” (#28,671), “pes” (#28,668), “Pleistocene” (#28,672). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pitchfork” is #28,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around pitchfork (IPA /ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,670 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for pitchfork, with forms such as "iptchfork", "picthfork", and "pitcchfork". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "patchwork", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pichfork, pycchefork, pychforke, pikeforke, pikkforke, pic-forcke, equivalent to pitch + fork. The correct English form is pitchfork, spelled P-I-T-C-H-F-O-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An agricultural tool comprising a fork with sparse, light tines, attached to a long handle, used for pitching hay (especially loose hay) high up onto a stack (as on a wagon or haystack, or into a haymow).
  2. 2
    A similar fork with slightly more and heavier tines, used for mucking stalls and pitching soiled bedding into a wagon or manure spreader.
  3. 3
    Any fork used for farm labor, even a digging fork (but such usage is often considered ignorant by experienced farmers).
  4. 4
    A tuning fork.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After my second illness, being too old for “piggy-back rides”, I generally sat in 'Resting Nuke' on a seat naturally formed in a low branch of a cedar, watching relatives down in the bay with pitchforks furiously digging out long black slithery "cockworms" from the muddy sands of Sinky Bay.
  2. I went around with a pitchfork [tuning fork] in my pocket, and I'd hit it whenever I thought of it, and I developed perfect pitch […]

Etymology

From Middle English pichfork, pycchefork, pychforke, pikeforke, pikkforke, pic-forcke, equivalent to pitch + fork.

This word in other languages

bieldo(Español)fourche(Français)Heugabel(Deutsch)forcado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iptchfork
  • picthfork
  • pitcchfork
  • pitcfhork
  • pitchffork
  • pitchfokr
  • pitchforkk
  • pitchforrk
  • pitchfrok
  • pitchhfork
  • pitchofrk
  • pithcfork
  • pittchfork
  • ppitchfork
  • ptichfork

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pitchfork - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iptchfork2picthfork2pitcchfork1pitcfhork2pitchffork1pitchfokr2pitchforkk1pitchforrk1
Edit distance from "pitchfork"

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 "pitchfork"?
"pitchfork" is spelled P-I-T-C-H-F-O-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk/.
What does "pitchfork" mean?
As a noun, "pitchfork" means: An agricultural tool comprising a fork with sparse, light tines, attached to a long handle, used for pitching hay (especially loose hay) high up onto a stack (as on a wagon or haystack, or into a h...
What words are commonly confused with "pitchfork"?
"pitchfork" is commonly confused with "patchwork". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pitchfork"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pitchfork" is /ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk/. 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 "pitchfork"?
From Middle English pichfork, pycchefork, pychforke, pikeforke, pikkforke, pic-forcke, equivalent to pitch + fork. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pitchfork", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pepperoni#28,666passively#28,663rationing#28,684rearrange#28,686

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

overtaking15 variantsoutperform15 variantsoptimizing15 variantssketching15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list