pumpkin
/ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/
"pumpkin" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pumpkin” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,234 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #9,234
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A domesticated plant, in species Cucurbita pepo, similar in growth pattern, foliage, flower, and fruit to the squash or melon.
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 | pumpkin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #9,234 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pumpkin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for pumpkin is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,234 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for pumpkin, with forms such as "pmupkin", "ppumpkin", and "pumkpin". 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, "Pushkin", "pumping", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of pompion, pumpion (“pumpkin”) with the diminutive -kin, from Middle French pompon, from Latin pepō (whence English pepo), from Ancient Greek πέπων (pépōn, “large melon”), from πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”), from πέπτω (péptō, “ripen”). The first attest… The correct English form is pumpkin, spelled P-U-M-P-K-I-N.
Definition
- 1A domesticated plant, in species Cucurbita pepo, similar in growth pattern, foliage, flower, and fruit to the squash or melon.
- 2The round yellow or orange fruit of this plant.
- 3The typical color of the ripe fruit of the pumpkin plant.
- 4Any of a number of cultivars from the genus Cucurbita; known in the US as winter squash.
- 5A term of endearment for someone small and cute.
- 6The housing for a differential, built into an axle of a vehicle; the housing and its contents.
Etymology
Alteration of pompion, pumpion (“pumpkin”) with the diminutive -kin, from Middle French pompon, from Latin pepō (whence English pepo), from Ancient Greek πέπων (pépōn, “large melon”), from πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”), from πέπτω (péptō, “ripen”). The first attestation is from 1647. The alternative theory that it may be from Massachusett pôhpukun (“grows forth round”) is false. The automotive sense is by fancied resemblance.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: pmupkin,ppumpkin,pumkpin,pummpkin,pumpikn,pumpkinn,pumpkkin,pumpkni,pumppkin,pupmkin,upmpkin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pumpkin - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "pumpkin"?
What does "pumpkin" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "pumpkin"?
How do you pronounce "pumpkin"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “pumpkin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-U-M-P-K-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Pushkin” - see the side-by-side comparison. pumpkin vs Pushkin
- 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.