wallaby

/ˈwɒləbi/

//ˈwɒləbi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wallaby” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,162. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,162
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several species of macropod; usually smaller and stockier than kangaroos.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wallaby · wallaby · English

wallaby · rank #45,162 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,162
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH warfarin

Nearest frequency peer: warfarin (+1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “wallaby”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “wallaby” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wallaby vs Wally
57% similar
wallaby vs Wallace
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wallaby
PropertyValue
Headwordwallaby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɒləbi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#45,162
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wallaby”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).wallabylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “warfarin” (#45,163), “vole” (#45,158), “Vladivostok” (#45,157). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wallaby” is #45,162. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around wallaby (IPA /ˈwɒləbi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,162 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of several species of macropod; usually smaller and stockier than kangaroos.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for wallaby, with forms such as "awllaby", "walaby", and "walalby". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Wally", "Wallace", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dharug wollabi (“rock-wallaby”). The correct English form is wallaby, spelled W-A-L-L-A-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several species of macropod; usually smaller and stockier than kangaroos.

Etymology

Borrowed from Dharug wollabi (“rock-wallaby”).

This word in other languages

wallaby(Français)Wallaby(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awllaby
  • walaby
  • walalby
  • wallabby
  • wallabyy
  • wallayb
  • wallbay
  • wlalaby
  • wwallaby

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wallaby - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

awllaby2walaby1walalby2wallabby1wallabyy1wallayb2wallbay2wlalaby2
Edit distance from "wallaby"

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 "wallaby"?
"wallaby" is spelled W-A-L-L-A-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒləbi/.
What does "wallaby" mean?
As a noun, "wallaby" means: Any of several species of macropod; usually smaller and stockier than kangaroos.
What words are commonly confused with "wallaby"?
"wallaby" is commonly confused with "Wally", "Wallace". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wallaby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wallaby" is /ˈwɒləbi/. 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 "wallaby"?
Borrowed from Dharug wollabi (“rock-wallaby”). 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 "wallaby", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

upriver#45,150unkempt#45,145unfunny#45,144aerials#45,190

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

winder9 variantsunneeded9 variantsTonkin9 variantstilapia9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list