porcupine

/ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/

//ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn// noun

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

"porcupine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“porcupine” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,797. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,797
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their shar...

Key facts for porcupine
PropertyValue
Headwordporcupine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/
Letters9
Frequency rank#33,797
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “porcupine” 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). porcupine lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around porcupine (IPA /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,797 among 46,516 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their shar...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for porcupine, with forms such as "oprcupine", "pocrupine", and "porccupine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus (“pig”) + spinus (“spine”), hence also spine pig. Cognate with Spanish puercoespín, Italian porcospino, Portuguese porco-espinho. The correct English form is porcupine, spelled P-O-R-C-U-P-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.

Etymology

From Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus (“pig”) + spinus (“spine”), hence also spine pig. Cognate with Spanish puercoespín, Italian porcospino, Portuguese porco-espinho.

Synonyms

spine pigporky

This word in other languages

puercoespín(Español)porc-épic(Français)Stachelschwein(Deutsch)porco-espinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oprcupine
  • pocrupine
  • porccupine
  • porcpuine
  • porcuipne
  • porcupien
  • porcupinne
  • porcupnie
  • porcuppine
  • porrcupine
  • porucpine
  • pporcupine
  • procupine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oprcupine2pocrupine2porccupine1porcpuine2porcuipne2porcupien2porcupinne1porcupnie2
Edit distance from "porcupine"

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 "porcupine"?
"porcupine" is spelled P-O-R-C-U-P-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/.
What does "porcupine" mean?
As a noun, "porcupine" means: Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), both from the infraorder Hystricognathi, noted for their shar...
What are common misspellings of "porcupine"?
Common misspellings include "oprcupine", "pocrupine", "porccupine", "porcpuine", "porcuipne". The correct spelling is "porcupine".
How do you pronounce "porcupine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "porcupine" is /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/. 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 "porcupine"?
From Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus (“pig”) + spinus (“spine”), hence also spine pig. Cognate with Spanish puercoespín, Italian porcospino, Portuguese porco-espinho. 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 “porcupine”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-R-C-U-P-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɔː(ɹ)kjʊˌpaɪn/ (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

Same frequency band

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