schooner

/skuːnə(ɹ)/

//skuːnə(ɹ)// noun

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

"schooner" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“schooner” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,009. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,009
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sailing ship with two or more masts, all with fore-and-aft sails; if two masted, having a foremast and a mainmast.

Corpus desk

Index EN-schooner · schooner · English

schooner · rank #28,009 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,009
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scavenger

Nearest frequency peer: scavenger (-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 “schooner”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “schooner” 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).

schooner vs sooner
75% similar
schooner vs shooter
75% similar
schooner vs scooter
75% similar

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

Key facts for schooner
PropertyValue
Headwordschooner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/skuːnə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,009
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “schooner”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).schoonerlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “scavenger” (#28,008), “scion” (#28,010), “scaffold” (#28,007). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “schooner” is #28,009. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around schooner (IPA /skuːnə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,009 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for schooner, with forms such as "cshooner", "scchooner", and "schhooner". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "sooner", "shooter", "scooter", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested ca. 1715, of uncertain origin. Said to be derived from dialectal scoon (“to skim over water”). Compare also shunt (“to cause to move (suddenly)”). The correct English form is schooner, spelled S-C-H-O-O-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sailing ship with two or more masts, all with fore-and-aft sails; if two masted, having a foremast and a mainmast.
  2. 2
    A glass for drinking a large measure of sherry.
  3. 3
    A glass of beer, of a size which varies between states (Wikipedia).
  4. 4
    A large goblet or drinking glass, used for lager or ale (Wikipedia).
  5. 5
    A covered wagon used by emigrants.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land.
  2. Designed by Frank Payne's renowned Boston design office, and built in 1928 of longleaf yellow pine, this 82-footer has been a racing schooner — a staysail schooner — since the heyday of Class-A ocean racing in schooners during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Etymology

Attested ca. 1715, of uncertain origin. Said to be derived from dialectal scoon (“to skim over water”). Compare also shunt (“to cause to move (suddenly)”).

This word in other languages

goleta(Español)goélette(Français)Schoner(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshooner
  • scchooner
  • schhooner
  • schoner
  • schonoer
  • schooenr
  • schoonerr
  • schoonner
  • schoonre
  • scohoner
  • shcooner
  • sschooner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cshooner2scchooner1schhooner1schoner1schonoer2schooenr2schoonerr1schoonner1
Edit distance from "schooner"

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 "schooner"?
"schooner" is spelled S-C-H-O-O-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /skuːnə(ɹ)/.
What does "schooner" mean?
As a noun, "schooner" means: A sailing ship with two or more masts, all with fore-and-aft sails; if two masted, having a foremast and a mainmast.
What words are commonly confused with "schooner"?
"schooner" is commonly confused with "sooner", "shooter", "scooter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "schooner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schooner" is /skuːnə(ɹ)/. 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 "schooner"?
Attested ca. 1715, of uncertain origin. Said to be derived from dialectal scoon (“to skim over water”). Compare also shunt (“to cause to move (suddenly)”). 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 "schooner", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scaffold#28,007solemnly#28,026starling#28,031takedown#28,045

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

prickly12 variantspreorder12 variantstasteless12 variantspreclude12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list