poacher

/ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/

//ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“poacher” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #48,417 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#48,417
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who trespasses in order to take game illegally, one who poaches; a person who illegally takes animals or plants from the wild.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

poacher vs pouches
71% similar
poacher vs preacher
75% similar
poacher vs pacer
71% similar

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

Key facts for poacher
PropertyValue
Headwordpoacher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#48,417
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poacher” 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). poacher lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for poacher is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #48,417 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for poacher, with forms such as "opacher", "paocher", and "poaccher". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "pouches", "preacher", "pacer", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From poach + -er. The correct English form is poacher, spelled P-O-A-C-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who trespasses in order to take game illegally, one who poaches; a person who illegally takes animals or plants from the wild.
  2. 2
    A vessel with shallow cuplike compartments in which eggs are cooked over boiling water
  3. 3
    An attacker with good movement inside the penalty box, see Wikipedia:Goal poacher.
  4. 4
    Any of type of fish in the family Agonidae, also known as alligatorfish, starsnout, hooknose and rockhead.
  5. 5
    An American wigeon (Anas americana).

Etymology

From poach + -er.

This word in other languages

furtivo(Español)braconnier(Français)Wilderer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opacher,paocher,poaccher,poacehr,poacherr,poachher,poachre,poahcer,pocaher,ppoacher

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opacher2paocher2poaccher1poacehr2poacherr1poachher1poachre2poahcer2
Edit distance from "poacher"

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 "poacher"?
"poacher" is spelled P-O-A-C-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/.
What does "poacher" mean?
As a noun, "poacher" means: A person who trespasses in order to take game illegally, one who poaches; a person who illegally takes animals or plants from the wild.
What words are commonly confused with "poacher"?
"poacher" is commonly confused with "pouches", "preacher", "pacer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poacher"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poacher" is /ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/. 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 "poacher"?
From poach + -er. 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 “poacher”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-A-C-H-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pouches” - see the side-by-side comparison. poacher vs pouches
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list