poltergeist

/ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst/

//ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst// noun

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

"poltergeist" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poltergeist” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,976. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,976
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poltergeist · poltergeist · English

poltergeist · rank #48,976 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,976
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH poetical

Nearest frequency peer: poetical (-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 “poltergeist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “poltergeist” 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
Key facts for poltergeist
PropertyValue
Headwordpoltergeist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst/
Letters11
Frequency rank#48,976
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poltergeist”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).poltergeistlands 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 “poetical” (#48,975), “poops” (#48,978), “pluralistic” (#48,973). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poltergeist” is #48,976. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around poltergeist (IPA /ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,976 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for poltergeist, with forms such as "opltergeist", "plotergeist", and "poletrgeist". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from German Poltergeist, from poltern (“to rumble”) + Geist (“ghost”). Cognate with English boulder and ghost. The correct English form is poltergeist, spelled P-O-L-T-E-R-G-E-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A poltergeist haunts the house by moving objects around, making chain-rattling noises and throwing things.
  2. The chapel is haunted by a demonic poltergeist.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Poltergeist, from poltern (“to rumble”) + Geist (“ghost”). Cognate with English boulder and ghost.

This word in other languages

poltergeist(Español)esprit frappeur(Français)Poltergeist(Deutsch)poltergeist(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opltergeist
  • plotergeist
  • poletrgeist
  • polltergeist
  • poltegreist
  • polteregist
  • poltergeisst
  • poltergeistt
  • poltergeits
  • poltergesit
  • polterggeist
  • poltergiest
  • polterrgeist
  • poltregeist
  • polttergeist
  • potlergeist
  • ppoltergeist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poltergeist - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

opltergeist2plotergeist2poletrgeist2polltergeist1poltegreist2polteregist2poltergeisst1poltergeistt1
Edit distance from "poltergeist"

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 "poltergeist"?
"poltergeist" is spelled P-O-L-T-E-R-G-E-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst/.
What does "poltergeist" mean?
As a noun, "poltergeist" means: An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.
What are common misspellings of "poltergeist"?
Common misspellings include "opltergeist", "plotergeist", "poletrgeist", "polltergeist", "poltegreist". The correct spelling is "poltergeist".
How do you pronounce "poltergeist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poltergeist" is /ˈpoʊl.tɚˌɡaɪst/. 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 "poltergeist"?
Unadapted borrowing from German Poltergeist, from poltern (“to rumble”) + Geist (“ghost”). Cognate with English boulder and ghost. 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 "poltergeist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pluralistic#48,973printmaking#48,983Pythagorean#48,990perceptible#48,959

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

magnetically17 variantstransceiver17 variantsundercutting17 variantsinstinctual17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list