varmint

/ˈvɑːmɪnt/

//ˈvɑːmɪnt// noun

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

"varmint" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“varmint” is uncommon English (frequency #80,091 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,091
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pestilent or predatory ground-borne animal, especially one that kills or harasses a farmer's animals or crops.

Corpus desk

Index EN-varmint · varmint · English

varmint · rank #80,091 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,091
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH uttermost

Nearest frequency peer: uttermost (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “varmint”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “varmint” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for varmint
PropertyValue
Headwordvarmint
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɑːmɪnt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#80,091
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “varmint” in English

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).varmintfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “uttermost” (#80,089), “unluckily” (#80,086), “unipolar” (#80,085). Among 969 “V” headwords, “varmint” is #80,091. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

varmint is uncommon English at frequency #80,091 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈvɑːmɪnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for varmint, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Dialectal form of vermin, derived from Latin vermis (“worm”), c. 1530–1540s. Perhaps influenced by Latin vargus (“bandit, outlaw, scoundrel”), though the pronunciation in /ɑː(ɹ)/ is more likely due to the same lowering of /ɛr/ > /ar/ found in carve < Middle… The correct English form is varmint, spelled V-A-R-M-I-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pestilent or predatory ground-borne animal, especially one that kills or harasses a farmer's animals or crops.
  2. 2
    An obnoxious person or troublemaker.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. You'd be but a fierce young hound indeed, if at your time of life you could help to hunt a wretched warmint, hunted as near death and dunghill as this poor wretched warmint is!

Etymology

Dialectal form of vermin, derived from Latin vermis (“worm”), c. 1530–1540s. Perhaps influenced by Latin vargus (“bandit, outlaw, scoundrel”), though the pronunciation in /ɑː(ɹ)/ is more likely due to the same lowering of /ɛr/ > /ar/ found in carve < Middle English kerven and starve < Middle English sterven. The final syllable is probably altered after -ment; compare parchment < Middle English parchemyn.

This word in other languages

nuisible(Français)Schädling(Deutsch)praga(Português)

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 "varmint"?
"varmint" is spelled V-A-R-M-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɑːmɪnt/.
What does "varmint" mean?
As a noun, "varmint" means: A pestilent or predatory ground-borne animal, especially one that kills or harasses a farmer's animals or crops.
How do you pronounce "varmint"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "varmint" is /ˈvɑːmɪnt/. 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 "varmint"?
Dialectal form of vermin, derived from Latin vermis (“worm”), c. 1530–1540s. Perhaps influenced by Latin vargus (“bandit, outlaw, scoundrel”), though the pronunciation in /ɑː(ɹ)/ is more likely due to the same lowering of /ɛr/ > /ar/ found in carv... 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 "varmint", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vernier#80,098wearied#80,109wendigo#80,111tweaker#80,068

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list