plumage

/ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"plumage" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“plumage” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,294. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,294
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-plumage · plumage · English

plumage · rank #31,294 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,294
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pituitary

Nearest frequency peer: pituitary (-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 “plumage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “plumage” 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).

plumage vs plume
71% similar
plumage vs plunge
71% similar

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

Key facts for plumage
PropertyValue
Headwordplumage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,294
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “plumage”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).plumagelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “pituitary” (#31,293), “picturing” (#31,292), “poof” (#31,296). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “plumage” is #31,294. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around plumage (IPA /ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,294 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for plumage, with forms such as "lpumage", "pllumage", and "plmuage". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "plume", "plunge", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French plumage (14c.), itself from plume (“feather”) (from Latin plūma (“feather, down”), from a Proto-Indo-European base *plews- (“to pluck, a feather, fleece”) + -age. The correct English form is plumage, spelled P-L-U-M-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.
  2. 2
    Finery or elaborate dress.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In some few cases the young in their first plumage differ from each other according to sex; the young males resembling more or less closely the adult males, and the young females more or less closely the adult females.
  2. Somewhat like a heron she was, but stouter, and shorter of leg, and her beak shorter and thicker than the heron’s; and so long and delicate was her pale gray plumage that hard it was to say whether it were hair or feathers.

Etymology

From Old French plumage (14c.), itself from plume (“feather”) (from Latin plūma (“feather, down”), from a Proto-Indo-European base *plews- (“to pluck, a feather, fleece”) + -age.

This word in other languages

plumaje(Español)plumage(Français)Gefieder(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpumage
  • pllumage
  • plmuage
  • pluamge
  • plumaeg
  • plumagge
  • plumgae
  • plummage
  • pplumage
  • pulmage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpumage2pllumage1plmuage2pluamge2plumaeg2plumagge1plumgae2plummage1
Edit distance from "plumage"

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 "plumage"?
"plumage" is spelled P-L-U-M-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "plumage" mean?
As a noun, "plumage" means: Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.
What words are commonly confused with "plumage"?
"plumage" is commonly confused with "plume", "plunge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plumage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plumage" is /ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "plumage"?
From Old French plumage (14c.), itself from plume (“feather”) (from Latin plūma (“feather, down”), from a Proto-Indo-European base *plews- (“to pluck, a feather, fleece”) + -age. 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 "plumage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

profess#31,301purging#31,303origami#31,279orbiter#31,278

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

oratory10 variantssmurfs10 variantsKampala10 variantssufferer10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list