ploughman
/ˈplaʊ.mən/
"ploughman" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ploughman” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative spelling of plowman.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ploughman |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈplaʊ.mən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ploughman” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ploughman is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈplaʊ.mən/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Alternative spelling of plowman.".
No misspelling variants are generated for ploughman in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English plowman, ploghmon, plouȝman, equivalent to plough + man. Compare Middle Dutch ploechman. The correct English form is ploughman, spelled P-L-O-U-G-H-M-A-N.
Definition
- 1Alternative spelling of plowman.
Etymology
From Middle English plowman, ploghmon, plouȝman, equivalent to plough + man. Compare Middle Dutch ploechman.
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
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Using “ploughman”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-L-O-U-G-H-M-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈplaʊ.mən/ (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
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.