Ursa Minor

/ˌɝsə ˈmaɪnɚ/

//ˌɝsə ˈmaɪnɚ// name

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a bear. It includes the familiar asterism of the Little Dipper and, as part of it, the northern pole star Polaris, as well as Kochab.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ursa-minor · Ursa Minor · English

Ursa Minor · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" 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 Ursa Minor
PropertyValue
HeadwordUrsa Minor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˌɝsə ˈmaɪnɚ/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Ursa Minor” in English

Ursa Minorsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Ursa Minor is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˌɝsə ˈmaɪnɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a bear. It includes the familiar asterism of the Little Dipper and, as part of it, the northern pole star Polaris, as well as Kochab.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Ursa Minor, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Ursa minor (“(the) lesser bear”). The correct English form is Ursa Minor, spelled U-R-S-A- -M-I-N-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a bear. It includes the familiar asterism of the Little Dipper and, as part of it, the northern pole star Polaris, as well as Kochab.

Etymology

From Latin Ursa minor (“(the) lesser bear”).

Synonyms

Little BearLesser Bear

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 "Ursa Minor"?
"Ursa Minor" is spelled U-R-S-A- -M-I-N-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɝsə ˈmaɪnɚ/.
What does "Ursa Minor" mean?
As a proper noun, "Ursa Minor" means: A circumpolar constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a bear. It includes the familiar asterism of the Little Dipper and, as part of it, the northern pole star Polaris, as well as Kochab.
How do you pronounce "Ursa Minor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ursa Minor" is /ˌɝsə ˈmaɪnɚ/. 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 "Ursa Minor"?
From Latin Ursa minor (“(the) lesser bear”). 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