powwow
/ˈpaʊ(ˌ)waʊ/
"powwow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“powwow” is uncommon English (frequency #69,352 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #69,352
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A ritual conducted by a Native American shaman.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | powwow |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpaʊ(ˌ)waʊ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #69,352 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “powwow” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
powwow is uncommon English at frequency #69,352 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpaʊ(ˌ)waʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for powwow in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From an Eastern Algonquian language, probably Massachusett pauwau (“he uses divination; he practices magic or sorcery”) or Narragansett powwáw (“sorcerer, shaman”), ultimately from Proto-Algonquian *pawe·wa (“one who dreams”). The correct English form is powwow, spelled P-O-W-W-O-W.
Definition
- 1A ritual conducted by a Native American shaman.
- 2A Native American shaman.
- 3A Native American council or meeting.
- 4A short, private conference.
- 5A large gathering during which Indigenous songs and dances are showcased for an audience, essentially a recital or concert. Often also doubles as a fundraiser, or can be held in conjunction with a non-indigenous fair or exhibition in order to attract a large crowd, as at the Calgary Stampede and K-Days.
- 6A tradition of folk magic practiced by the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Etymology
From an Eastern Algonquian language, probably Massachusett pauwau (“he uses divination; he practices magic or sorcery”) or Narragansett powwáw (“sorcerer, shaman”), ultimately from Proto-Algonquian *pawe·wa (“one who dreams”).
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 “powwow”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-W-W-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpaʊ(ˌ)waʊ/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.