ptarmigan
/ˈtɑːmɪɡən/
"ptarmigan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ptarmigan” is uncommon English (frequency #89,803 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #89,803
- frequency rank, English
- 46,516
- “P” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of three species of small grouse in the genus Lagopus found in subarctic tundra areas of North America and Eurasia.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ptarmigan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɑːmɪɡən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #89,803 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ptarmigan” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ptarmigan is uncommon English at frequency #89,803 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɑːmɪɡən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of three species of small grouse in the genus Lagopus found in subarctic tundra areas of North America and Eurasia.".
Zero misspellings are on record for ptarmigan in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Scottish Gaelic tarmachan, of unknown origin. The pt- comes from a mistaken belief in a Greek origin, as if related to ptero- (“wing”). The correct English form is ptarmigan, spelled P-T-A-R-M-I-G-A-N.
Definition
- 1Any of three species of small grouse in the genus Lagopus found in subarctic tundra areas of North America and Eurasia.
Etymology
From Scottish Gaelic tarmachan, of unknown origin. The pt- comes from a mistaken belief in a Greek origin, as if related to ptero- (“wing”).
This word in other languages
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 “ptarmigan”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-T-A-R-M-I-G-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɑːmɪɡən/ (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.