weevil

/ˈwiːv(ə)l/

//ˈwiːv(ə)l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“weevil” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,515. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,515
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most characteristic species having the head projecting in...

Corpus desk

Index EN-weevil · weevil · English

weevil · rank #40,515 · 8 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #40,515
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH whatever's

Nearest frequency peer: whatever's (+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 “weevil”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “weevil” 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).

weevil vs weenie
67% similar

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

Key facts for weevil
PropertyValue
Headwordweevil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwiːv(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,515
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “weevil”

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).weevillands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “whatever's” (#40,516), “whirling” (#40,517), “wagering” (#40,512). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “weevil” is #40,515. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around weevil (IPA /ˈwiːv(ə)l/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,515 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for weevil, with forms such as "ewevil", "weeivl", and "weevill". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "weenie", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wevel, from Old English wifel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic *wibil, from Proto-Germanic *wibilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰel-, from *(h₁)webʰ- (“to wave, to weave”), said to be from the woven appearance of a weevil’s larval … The correct English form is weevil, spelled W-E-E-V-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most characteristic species having the head projecting in a distinctive snout with the mouthparts at the tip.
  2. 2
    Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles of various sizes, in the family Curculionidae within the superfamily Curculionoidea.
  3. 3
    Any of many similar, but more distantly related, beetles such as the biscuit weevil (Stegobium paniceum).
  4. 4
    A loathsome person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. But you accuse other men of villainy with too easy a tongue, you weevil. I have never wanted you in this matter, and I have said so.

Etymology

From Middle English wevel, from Old English wifel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic *wibil, from Proto-Germanic *wibilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰel-, from *(h₁)webʰ- (“to wave, to weave”), said to be from the woven appearance of a weevil’s larval case, + *-el-, *-l̥- (diminutive or attributive suffix); see also wave and weave. Compare Old Saxon *wivil (“beetle”); Middle Low German wevel; Old High German wibil, wipil (modern German Wiebel (“beetle; chafer”)); Lithuanian vãbalas (“beetle; weevil”); Old Norse vifill, as in tordyfill (“dung beetle, scarab”) (whence Dutch tortwevel; Icelandic tordýfill, Norwegian tordivel, Old English tordwifel, Swedish tordyvel); dialectal Russian ве́блица (véblica, “intestinal worm”).

Synonyms

snout beetletrue weevilnunu

This word in other languages

gorgojo(Español)charançon(Français)Rüsselkäfer(Deutsch)gorgulho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ewevil
  • weeivl
  • weevill
  • weevli
  • weevvil
  • weveil
  • wevil
  • wweevil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ewevil2weeivl2weevill1weevli2weevvil1weveil2wevil1wweevil1
Edit distance from "weevil"

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 "weevil"?
"weevil" is spelled W-E-E-V-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwiːv(ə)l/.
What does "weevil" mean?
As a noun, "weevil" means: Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most characteristic species having the head projecting in...
What words are commonly confused with "weevil"?
"weevil" is commonly confused with "weenie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "weevil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weevil" is /ˈwiːv(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 "weevil"?
From Middle English wevel, from Old English wifel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic *wibil, from Proto-Germanic *wibilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *webʰel-, from *(h₁)webʰ- (“to wave, to weave”), said to be from the woven appearance of a weevil... 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 "weevil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

wintry#40,521vestry#40,506uplink#40,500untied#40,498

Similar misspelling depth

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

Allende8 variantsAmbien8 variantsAnjali8 variantsAssyria8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list