spook

/spuːk/

//spuːk// noun

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

"spook" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spook” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,857. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,857
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A ghost or phantom.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spook · spook · English

spook · rank #33,857 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,857
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH splitter

Nearest frequency peer: splitter (-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 “spook”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spook” 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).

spook vs spot
60% similar
spook vs stock
60% similar
spook vs sport
60% similar

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

Key facts for spook
PropertyValue
Headwordspook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/spuːk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,857
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spook”

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).spooklands 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 “splitter” (#33,856), “soulless” (#33,855), “statesmen” (#33,859). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spook” is #33,857. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around spook (IPA /spuːk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,857 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for spook, with forms such as "psook", "sopok", and "spok". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "spot", "stock", "sport", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch spook (“ghost”), from Middle Dutch spooc (“spook, ghost”). Cognate with Middle Low German spôk, spûk (“apparition, ghost”), Middle High German gespük (“a haunting”), German Spuk, Danish spøge (“to haunt”), Swedish spöke (“ghost”). The correct English form is spook, spelled S-P-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A ghost or phantom.
  2. 2
    A hobgoblin.
  3. 3
    A scare or fright.
  4. 4
    An undercover agent, spy, or intelligence analyst.
  5. 5
    A black person.
  6. 6
    A metaphysical manifestation; an artificial distinction or construct.
  7. 7
    A psychiatrist.
  8. 8
    A player who engages in hole carding by attempting to glimpse the dealer's hole card when the dealer checks under an ace or a 10 to see if a blackjack is present.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The building was haunted by a couple of spooks.
  2. "I'll say what I think, no more and no less, and I won't be scared by you or your spooks into altering my opinions."

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch spook (“ghost”), from Middle Dutch spooc (“spook, ghost”). Cognate with Middle Low German spôk, spûk (“apparition, ghost”), Middle High German gespük (“a haunting”), German Spuk, Danish spøge (“to haunt”), Swedish spöke (“ghost”).

This word in other languages

fantôme(Français)Geist(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psook
  • sopok
  • spok
  • spoko
  • spookk
  • sppook
  • sspook

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psook2sopok2spok1spoko2spookk1sppook1sspook1
Edit distance from "spook"

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 "spook"?
"spook" is spelled S-P-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /spuːk/.
What does "spook" mean?
As a noun, "spook" means: A ghost or phantom.
What words are commonly confused with "spook"?
"spook" is commonly confused with "spot", "stock", "sport". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spook"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spook" is /spuːk/. 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 "spook"?
Borrowed from Dutch spook (“ghost”), from Middle Dutch spooc (“spook, ghost”). Cognate with Middle Low German spôk, spûk (“apparition, ghost”), Middle High German gespük (“a haunting”), German Spuk, Danish spøge (“to haunt”), Swedish spöke (“ghost”). 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 "spook", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

stork#33,860slits#33,852shiro#33,844swoon#33,870

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

thane7 variantstithe7 variantsriser7 variantsWesson7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list