spiracle
/ˈspɪɹəkəl/
"spiracle" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“spiracle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A pore or opening used (especially by arthropods and some fish) for respiration.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | spiracle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈspɪɹəkəl/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “spiracle” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
spiracle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈspɪɹəkəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for spiracle, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin spiraculum, from spirare (“to breathe”). The correct English form is spiracle, spelled S-P-I-R-A-C-L-E.
Definition
- 1A pore or opening used (especially by arthropods and some fish) for respiration.
- 2The blowhole of a whale, dolphin or other similar species.
- 3Any small aperture or vent for air or other fluid.
Etymology
From Latin spiraculum, from spirare (“to breathe”).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “spiracle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-I-R-A-C-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈspɪɹəkəl/ (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
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.