possum
/ˈpɒsəm/
"possum" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“possum” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,297 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #31,297
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An opossum, a marsupial of the family Didelphidae of the Americas.
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) |
Where “possum” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for possum is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɒsəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,297 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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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Using “possum”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-S-S-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɒsəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “posse” - see the side-by-side comparison. possum vs posse
- 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.