spooky

/ˈspuːki/

//ˈspuːki// adj

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

"spooky" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spooky” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,420. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,420
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Eerie, or suggestive of ghosts or the supernatural.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spooky · spooky · English

spooky · rank #14,420 · 9 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,420
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Somali

Nearest frequency peer: Somali (-2 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 “spooky”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spooky” 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).

spooky vs spoon
67% similar
spooky vs spool
67% similar
spooky vs spoons
67% similar

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

Key facts for spooky
PropertyValue
Headwordspooky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈspuːki/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,420
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spooky”

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).spookylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Somali” (#14,418), “staffing” (#14,422), “sneakers” (#14,417). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spooky” is #14,420. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around spooky (IPA /ˈspuːki/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,420 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for spooky, with forms such as "psooky", "sopoky", and "spokoy". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "spoon", "spool", "spoons", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From spook + -y. The correct English form is spooky, spelled S-P-O-O-K-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Eerie, or suggestive of ghosts or the supernatural.
  2. 2
    Spooked; afraid; frightened.
  3. 3
    Unpredictably excitable; skittish (used especially of horses).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I thought it was nice, though I found it very quiet, and whenever I was alone in it, I felt spooky.

Etymology

From spook + -y.

This word in other languages

espeluznante(Español)effrayant(Français)fantasmagórico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psooky
  • sopoky
  • spokoy
  • spoky
  • spookky
  • spookyy
  • spooyk
  • sppooky
  • sspooky

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of spooky - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

psooky2sopoky2spokoy2spoky1spookky1spookyy1spooyk2sppooky1
Edit distance from "spooky"

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 "spooky"?
"spooky" is spelled S-P-O-O-K-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspuːki/.
What does "spooky" mean?
As an adjective, "spooky" means: Eerie, or suggestive of ghosts or the supernatural.
What words are commonly confused with "spooky"?
"spooky" is commonly confused with "spoon", "spool", "spoons". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spooky"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spooky" is /ˈspuːki/. 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 "spooky"?
From spook + -y. 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 "spooky", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Somali#14,418snatch#14,416subset#14,427syntax#14,432

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

tandem9 variantsRwanda9 variantstasked9 variantsresidue9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list