walrus

/ˈwɔːl.ɹəs/

//ˈwɔːl.ɹəs// noun

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

"walrus" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“walrus” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,886. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,886
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-walrus · walrus · English

walrus · rank #29,886 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,886
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH volta

Nearest frequency peer: volta (-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 “walrus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “walrus” 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).

walrus vs wars
67% similar
walrus vs wares
67% similar
walrus vs walls
67% similar

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

Key facts for walrus
PropertyValue
Headwordwalrus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɔːl.ɹəs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#29,886
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “walrus”

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).walruslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “volta” (#29,885), “visor” (#29,884), “vinny” (#29,883). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “walrus” is #29,886. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around walrus (IPA /ˈwɔːl.ɹəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,886 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for walrus, with forms such as "awlrus", "wallrus", and "walrrus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "wars", "wares", "walls", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably borrowed from Dutch walrus, a compound of wal (“whale”) and ros (“horse”). Displaced native Old English horshwæl (literally “horse-whale”). Compare similar constructions in Danish hvalros, Old Norse hrosshvalr, and German Walross. The correct English form is walrus, spelled W-A-L-R-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.
  2. 2
    A man with a walrus moustache.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Of all the Phocine family none present so terrible and grotesque an appearance as the gigantic Walrus, also known as the morse and sea-horse.
  2. You old walrus, don't you think it is time for you to lop your whiskers off?

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Dutch walrus, a compound of wal (“whale”) and ros (“horse”). Displaced native Old English horshwæl (literally “horse-whale”). Compare similar constructions in Danish hvalros, Old Norse hrosshvalr, and German Walross.

This word in other languages

morsa(Español)morse(Français)Walross(Deutsch)morsa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awlrus
  • wallrus
  • walrrus
  • walrsu
  • walruss
  • walurs
  • warlus
  • wlarus
  • wwalrus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of walrus - 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.

awlrus2wallrus1walrrus1walrsu2walruss1walurs2warlus2wlarus2
Edit distance from "walrus"

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 "walrus"?
"walrus" is spelled W-A-L-R-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɔːl.ɹəs/.
What does "walrus" mean?
As a noun, "walrus" means: A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and having long tusks, tough, wrinkled skin, and four flippers, Odobenus rosmarus.
What words are commonly confused with "walrus"?
"walrus" is commonly confused with "wars", "wares", "walls". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "walrus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "walrus" is /ˈwɔːl.ɹəs/. 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 "walrus"?
Probably borrowed from Dutch walrus, a compound of wal (“whale”) and ros (“horse”). Displaced native Old English horshwæl (literally “horse-whale”). Compare similar constructions in Danish hvalros, Old Norse hrosshvalr, and German Walross. 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 "walrus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Vikram#29,880yanked#29,894unduly#29,875tranny#29,866

Similar misspelling depth

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

Antonia9 variantsaviator9 variantsBlount9 variantsshimmer9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list