possum
/ˈpɒsəm/
"possum" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“possum” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,297. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #31,297
- frequency rank, English
- 4,417
- “P” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An opossum, a marsupial of the family Didelphidae of the Americas.
Corpus desk
Index EN-possum · possum · English
possum · rank #31,297 · 7 variants · 2 confusables
- FREQ-MID #31,297
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
- VAR-MID 7 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,417
- PHOTO-FINISH poof
Nearest frequency peer: poof (-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 “possum”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- plumage
plumage
68,707 corpus weight
- poof
poof
68,705 corpus weight
- possum
possum
68,704 corpus weight
- potted
potted
68,703 corpus weight
- premeditated
premeditated
68,702 corpus weight
- preset
preset
68,701 corpus weight
What this shows “possum” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | possum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɒsəm/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #31,297 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “possum”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around possum (IPA /ˈpɒsəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,297 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for possum, with forms such as "opssum", "possmu", and "possumm". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "posse", "podium", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Algonquian *wa·p- Proto-Algonquian *aθemwa Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemwa Powhatan aposoumbor. English opossumder. English possum Derived from opossum by apheresis. The correct English form is possum, spelled P-O-S-S-U-M.
Definition
- 1An opossum, a marsupial of the family Didelphidae of the Americas.
- 2Any of the marsupials in several families of the order Diprotodontia of Australia and neighboring islands.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Algonquian *wa·p- Proto-Algonquian *aθemwa Proto-Algonquian *wa·p-aʔθemwa Powhatan aposoumbor. English opossumder. English possum Derived from opossum by apheresis.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- opssum
- possmu
- possumm
- posum
- posusm
- ppossum
- psosum
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of possum - 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.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "possum", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).