toboggan
/təˈbɒɡ.ən/
"toboggan" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“toboggan” is uncommon English (frequency #66,350 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #66,350
- frequency rank, English
- 27,828
- “T” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A long sled without runners, with the front end curled upwards, which may be pulled across snow by a cord or used to coast down hills.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | toboggan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /təˈbɒɡ.ən/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #66,350 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “toboggan” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
toboggan is uncommon English at frequency #66,350 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /təˈbɒɡ.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for toboggan in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is attested since 1829, the verb since 1846. Both derive from French tabaganne, which derives from an Algonquian word, probably Mi'kmaq tepaqan or Abenaki dabôgan, influenced by similar words in other Eastern Canadian Algonquian languages. The sens… The correct English form is toboggan, spelled T-O-B-O-G-G-A-N.
Definition
- 1A long sled without runners, with the front end curled upwards, which may be pulled across snow by a cord or used to coast down hills.
- 2A similar sled of wood, pulled by dogs, possibly with steel runners, made to transport cargo.
- 3Something which, once it starts going (figuratively) downhill, is unstoppable until it reaches the bottom.
- 4A knit cap, designed to provide warmth in cold weather.
Etymology
The noun is attested since 1829, the verb since 1846. Both derive from French tabaganne, which derives from an Algonquian word, probably Mi'kmaq tepaqan or Abenaki dabôgan, influenced by similar words in other Eastern Canadian Algonquian languages. The sense of "hat" is recorded since 1929 and is short for toboggan cap (1928), a cap suitable for wearing while tobogganing.
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); 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
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Using “toboggan”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-O-B-O-G-G-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /təˈbɒɡ.ən/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.