watermelon

/ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/

//ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən// noun

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

"watermelon" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“watermelon” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,460. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,460
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, bearing a melon-like fruit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-watermelon · watermelon · English

watermelon · rank #18,460 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,460
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wasp

Nearest frequency peer: wasp (-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 “watermelon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “watermelon” 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
Key facts for watermelon
PropertyValue
Headwordwatermelon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#18,460
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “watermelon”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).watermelonlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “wasp” (#18,459), “webber” (#18,461), “warped” (#18,458). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “watermelon” is #18,460. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around watermelon (IPA /ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,460 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for watermelon, with forms such as "awtermelon", "waetrmelon", and "watemrelon". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the 1610s, a compound of water + melon. Compare French melon d'eau, German Wassermelone, and Spanish melón de agua. The meanings referring to environmentalists and behind-schedule projects derive from the idea of having a green (eco-friendly, on-schedu… The correct English form is watermelon, spelled W-A-T-E-R-M-E-L-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, bearing a melon-like fruit.
  2. 2
    The fruit of the watermelon plant, having a green rind and watery flesh that is typically bright red when ripe and contains black seeds.
  3. 3
    An environmentalist with socialist leanings, an ecosocialist.
  4. 4
    A pinkish-red colour, like that of watermelon flesh (also called watermelon pink).
  5. 5
    A project that is presented as on schedule when it actually has parts that are falling behind.
  6. 6
    A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent female human.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. According to this distorted view of life, environmentalists are watermelons – green on the outside, red on the inside – who want to impose regulation, “the slippery slope to socialism”, on the use of tobacco, ozone-destroying chemicals and greenhouse gases.
  2. The nuts and bolts of any project are transparency. If the project status is transparent, the watermelons can’t arise. If anybody is able to get the information, it will be difficult to hide something.

Etymology

From the 1610s, a compound of water + melon. Compare French melon d'eau, German Wassermelone, and Spanish melón de agua. The meanings referring to environmentalists and behind-schedule projects derive from the idea of having a green (eco-friendly, on-schedule) outward appearance while being red (socialist, behind schedule) in a hidden way comparable to that of the fruit.

Synonyms

breasts

This word in other languages

sandía(Español)pastèque(Français)Wassermelone(Deutsch)melancia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awtermelon
  • waetrmelon
  • watemrelon
  • wateremlon
  • watermellon
  • watermelno
  • watermelonn
  • watermeoln
  • watermleon
  • watermmelon
  • waterrmelon
  • watremelon
  • wattermelon
  • wtaermelon
  • wwatermelon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awtermelon2waetrmelon2watemrelon2wateremlon2watermellon1watermelno2watermelonn1watermeoln2
Edit distance from "watermelon"

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 "watermelon"?
"watermelon" is spelled W-A-T-E-R-M-E-L-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/.
What does "watermelon" mean?
As a noun, "watermelon" means: A plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, bearing a melon-like fruit.
What are common misspellings of "watermelon"?
Common misspellings include "awtermelon", "waetrmelon", "watemrelon", "wateremlon", "watermellon". The correct spelling is "watermelon".
How do you pronounce "watermelon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "watermelon" is /ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/. 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 "watermelon"?
From the 1610s, a compound of water + melon. Compare French melon d'eau, German Wassermelone, and Spanish melón de agua. The meanings referring to environmentalists and behind-schedule projects derive from the idea of having a green (eco-friendly,... 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 "watermelon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unilateral#18,454benevolent#18,495bestseller#18,496borderline#18,506

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

stumbling15 variantsFrenchman15 variantshindsight15 variantsgrammatical15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list