windpipe

/ˈwɪndpaɪp/

//ˈwɪndpaɪp// noun

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

"windpipe" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“windpipe” is uncommon English (frequency #57,821 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,821
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The trachea.

Corpus desk

Index EN-windpipe · windpipe · English

windpipe · rank #57,821 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,821
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Welland

Nearest frequency peer: Welland (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “windpipe”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “windpipe” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for windpipe
PropertyValue
Headwordwindpipe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪndpaɪp/
Letters8
Frequency rank#57,821
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “windpipe” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Welland” (#57,819), “weightlessness” (#57,817), “yarder” (#57,825). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “windpipe” is #57,821. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

windpipe is uncommon English at frequency #57,821 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪndpaɪp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for windpipe, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wind + pipe. The correct English form is windpipe, spelled W-I-N-D-P-I-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The trachea.
  2. 2
    Any duct for air or other gas.
  3. 3
    A section of road or bridleway which has a reputation for having strong crosswinds or localized wind swirls.
  4. 4
    The anus.

Etymology

From wind + pipe.

This word in other languages

tráquea(Español)trachée(Français)Luftröhre(Deutsch)traqueia(Português)

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 "windpipe"?
"windpipe" is spelled W-I-N-D-P-I-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪndpaɪp/.
What does "windpipe" mean?
As a noun, "windpipe" means: The trachea.
How do you pronounce "windpipe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "windpipe" is /ˈwɪndpaɪp/. 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 "windpipe"?
From wind + pipe. 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 "windpipe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

weakling#57,815Abington#57,836verbiage#57,806undertow#57,799

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list