raccoon

/ɹəˈkuːn/

//ɹəˈkuːn// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"raccoon" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“raccoon” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,470. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,470
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An omnivorous, nocturnal mammal native to the Americas, of the genus Procyon, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail.

Corpus desk

Index EN-raccoon · raccoon · English

raccoon · rank #20,470 · 8 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,470
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH raiding

Nearest frequency peer: raiding (+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 “raccoon”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “raccoon” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

raccoon vs Rangoon
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for raccoon
PropertyValue
Headwordraccoon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹəˈkuːn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,470
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “raccoon”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).raccoonlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “raiding” (#20,471), “quaint” (#20,468), “proclaim” (#20,467). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “raccoon” is #20,470. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around raccoon (IPA /ɹəˈkuːn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,470 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for raccoon, with forms such as "arccoon", "raccon", and "raccono". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Rangoon", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From arocoun (1608), from Powhatan ärähkun, from ärähkuněm (“he scratches with his hands”). The correct English form is raccoon, spelled R-A-C-C-O-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An omnivorous, nocturnal mammal native to the Americas, of the genus Procyon, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail.
  2. 2
    The common raccoon (Procyon lotor).
  3. 3
    Any mammal of the subfamily Procyoninae, a procyonine.
  4. 4
    Any mammal of the family Procyonidae, a procyonid.
  5. 5
    Any mammal superficially resembling a raccoon, such as a raccoon dog.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how raccoon appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Before a fire upon a seat like a bedsted, he sat covered with a great robe, made of Rarowcun skinnes, and all the tayles hanging by.
  2. The Rackoone is a deepe furred beaſt, not much unlike a Badger, having a tayle like a Fox, as good meate as a Lambe; there is one of them in the Tovver.

Etymology

From arocoun (1608), from Powhatan ärähkun, from ärähkuněm (“he scratches with his hands”).

Synonyms

cooncommon raccoonNorth American raccoonnorthern raccoontrash panda

This word in other languages

mapache(Español)raton laveur(Français)Waschbär(Deutsch)guaxinim(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • arccoon
  • raccon
  • raccono
  • raccoonn
  • racocon
  • racoon
  • rcacoon
  • rraccoon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of raccoon - 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.

arccoon2raccon1raccono2raccoonn1racocon2racoon1rcacoon2rraccoon1
Edit distance from "raccoon"

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 "raccoon"?
"raccoon" is spelled R-A-C-C-O-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈkuːn/.
What does "raccoon" mean?
As a noun, "raccoon" means: An omnivorous, nocturnal mammal native to the Americas, of the genus Procyon, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail.
What words are commonly confused with "raccoon"?
"raccoon" is commonly confused with "Rangoon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "raccoon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "raccoon" is /ɹəˈkuːn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "raccoon"?
From arocoun (1608), from Powhatan ärähkun, from ärähkuněm (“he scratches with his hands”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "raccoon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

raiding#20,471pretext#20,465Presley#20,464potency#20,462

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

quaint8 variantsserene8 variantsOakley8 variantsShrek8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list