spoonbill

/ˈspunˌbɪl/

//ˈspunˌbɪl// noun

"spoonbill" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spoonbill” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various large, long-legged wading birds of the genus Platalea, in the ibis family Threskiornithidae, that have a large, flat, spatulate bill.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spoonbill · spoonbill · English

spoonbill · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for spoonbill
PropertyValue
Headwordspoonbill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspunˌbɪl/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “spoonbill” in English

spoonbillfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

spoonbill is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈspunˌbɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for spoonbill in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From spoon + bill, owing to the shape of the animal's beak. The correct English form is spoonbill, spelled S-P-O-O-N-B-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various large, long-legged wading birds of the genus Platalea, in the ibis family Threskiornithidae, that have a large, flat, spatulate bill.
  2. 2
    A species of fish, Polyodon spathula, native to the river basins of Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri, or its extinct close relatives.

Etymology

From spoon + bill, owing to the shape of the animal's beak.

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

How do you spell "spoonbill"?
"spoonbill" is spelled S-P-O-O-N-B-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspunˌbɪl/.
What does "spoonbill" mean?
As a noun, "spoonbill" means: Any of various large, long-legged wading birds of the genus Platalea, in the ibis family Threskiornithidae, that have a large, flat, spatulate bill.
How do you pronounce "spoonbill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spoonbill" is /ˈspunˌbɪl/. 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 "spoonbill"?
From spoon + bill, owing to the shape of the animal's beak. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list