unicorn
/ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/
"unicorn" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“unicorn” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,241 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,241
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A mythical horse, widely believed to exist until the 17th century, with a single, straight, spiraled horn projecting from its forehead.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unicorn |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #14,241 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “unicorn” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for unicorn is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,241 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for unicorn, with forms such as "nuicorn", "uincorn", and "unciorn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "union", "UNISON", "uniform", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English unicorne, unikorn, from Anglo-Norman unicorne, Old French unicorne, and their source, Latin ūnicornis, from ūnus (“one”) + cornū (“horn”). Displaced native Old English ānhorn, itself a calque. Other senses from either rarity (e.g., posse… The correct English form is unicorn, spelled U-N-I-C-O-R-N.
Definition
- 1A mythical horse, widely believed to exist until the 17th century, with a single, straight, spiraled horn projecting from its forehead.
- 2In various Bible translations, used to render the Latin unicornis or rhinoceros (representing Hebrew רְאֵם): a reem or wild ox.
- 3Certain animals:
- 4Certain animals:
- 5Certain animals:
- 6Certain animals:
- 7Certain animals:
- 8A howitzer.
- 9Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
- 10Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
- 11Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
- 12Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
- 13Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
- 14Being many (especially pastel) colours; multicoloured.
- 15A 15th-century Scottish gold coin worth 18 shillings, bearing the image of a unicorn.
Etymology
From Middle English unicorne, unikorn, from Anglo-Norman unicorne, Old French unicorne, and their source, Latin ūnicornis, from ūnus (“one”) + cornū (“horn”). Displaced native Old English ānhorn, itself a calque. Other senses from either rarity (e.g., possessing multiple skills) or by physical resemblance to having a horn (e.g., howitzer). The finance sense was coined by American investor Aileen Lee and first used in a 2013 article.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: nuicorn,uincorn,unciorn,uniccorn,uniconr,unicornn,unicorrn,unicron,uniocrn,unnicorn
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unicorn - 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.
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 "unicorn"?
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Using “unicorn”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-N-I-C-O-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “union” - see the side-by-side comparison. unicorn vs union
- 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.