weasel

/ˈwiːz(ə)l/

//ˈwiːz(ə)l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“weasel” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,861. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,861
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-weasel · weasel · English

weasel · rank #22,861 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,861
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Westfield

Nearest frequency peer: Westfield (+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 “weasel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “weasel” 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).

weasel vs weave
67% similar
weasel vs weaver
67% similar
weasel vs Wessex
50% similar

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

Key facts for weasel
PropertyValue
Headwordweasel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwiːz(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,861
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “weasel”

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).weasellands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Westfield” (#22,862), “watery” (#22,859), “watchdog” (#22,858). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “weasel” is #22,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around weasel (IPA /ˈwiːz(ə)l/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,861 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for weasel, with forms such as "ewasel", "waesel", and "weaesl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "weave", "weaver", "Wessex", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel. The correct English form is weasel, spelled W-E-A-S-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.
  2. 2
    A least weasel (Mustela nivalis).
  3. 3
    Any of certain other species of the family Mustelidae.
  4. 4
    A devious or sneaky person or animal.
  5. 5
    A type of yarn winder used for counting the yardage of handspun yarn. It most commonly has a wooden peg or dowel that pops up from the gearing mechanism after a certain number of yards have been wound onto the winder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An old traditional prescription for provoking erotic inclinations ran as follows, The toe of the foot of a man, anointed with oil, or honey, or the ashes of a weasel.
  2. Once you've gone beyond the scripted speeches, soundbites and cliches, you'll notice how the debate about leadership is primarily divided between the three governors and two senators, the other two weasels, Donald Trump and Ben Carson notwithstanding.

Etymology

From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel.

Synonyms

mustela

This word in other languages

comadreja(Español)belette(Français)Wiesel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ewasel
  • waesel
  • weaesl
  • weasell
  • weasle
  • weassel
  • wesael
  • wweasel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ewasel2waesel2weaesl2weasell1weasle2weassel1wesael2wweasel1
Edit distance from "weasel"

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 "weasel"?
"weasel" is spelled W-E-A-S-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwiːz(ə)l/.
What does "weasel" mean?
As a noun, "weasel" means: Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.
What words are commonly confused with "weasel"?
"weasel" is commonly confused with "weave", "weaver", "Wessex". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "weasel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weasel" is /ˈwiːz(ə)l/. 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 "weasel"?
From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel. 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 "weasel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

watery#22,859Turing#22,843tracer#22,840allege#22,884

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

why'd8 variantsBasque8 variantssneeze8 variantssluts8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list