polecat

/ˈpəʊlkæt/

//ˈpəʊlkæt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“polecat” is uncommon English (frequency #94,133 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,133
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A weasel-like animal of the genus Mustela.

Corpus desk

Index EN-polecat · polecat · English

polecat · rank #94,133 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,133
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH poetess

Nearest frequency peer: poetess (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “polecat”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “polecat” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for polecat
PropertyValue
Headwordpolecat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpəʊlkæt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,133
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “polecat” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “poetess” (#94,132), “podiatric” (#94,131), “pluton” (#94,130). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “polecat” is #94,133. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

polecat is uncommon English at frequency #94,133 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpəʊlkæt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

polecat doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English polcat, pulkat, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle English *pole, *poule (“hen”), from Old French poule (“hen”) + Middle English cat. Compare English foulmart. The correct English form is polecat, spelled P-O-L-E-C-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A weasel-like animal of the genus Mustela.
  2. 2
    A weasel-like animal of the genus Mustela.
  3. 3
    A skunk.
  4. 4
    A tubular device used to support lights on a set.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For a long time the dormouse and polecat had seemed to him overfeeble enemies for his restless valour, even as the granary floor seemed to afford too narrow a field. Every day he read the papers of the previous day in the servants' hall of the houses he visited, and it appeared to him that this war in America, which was hailed as the awakening of the spir…
  2. By the little garden pergola open to the winds some fluttered peacocks were blotted nervelessly amid the dripping trees, their heads sunk back beneath their wings: while in the pergola itself, like a fallen storm-cloud, lolled a negress, her levelled, polecat eyes semi-veiled by the nebulous alchemy of the rainbow.

Etymology

From Middle English polcat, pulkat, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle English *pole, *poule (“hen”), from Old French poule (“hen”) + Middle English cat. Compare English foulmart.

This word in other languages

turón(Español)putois(Français)Iltis(Deutsch)

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 "polecat"?
"polecat" is spelled P-O-L-E-C-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpəʊlkæt/.
What does "polecat" mean?
As a noun, "polecat" means: A weasel-like animal of the genus Mustela.
How do you pronounce "polecat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "polecat" is /ˈpəʊlkæt/. 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 "polecat"?
From Middle English polcat, pulkat, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle English *pole, *poule (“hen”), from Old French poule (“hen”) + Middle English cat. Compare English foulmart. 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 "polecat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

poetess#94,132pretest#94,145pendejo#94,110quetzal#94,157

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list