wishbone

/ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/

//ˈwɪʃˌboʊn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wishbone” is uncommon English (frequency #53,340 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,340
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wishbone · wishbone · English

wishbone · rank #53,340 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,340
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wistfully

Nearest frequency peer: wistfully (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “wishbone”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for wishbone
PropertyValue
Headwordwishbone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#53,340
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wishbone” 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).wishbonefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “wistfully” (#53,341), “whitewashing” (#53,338), “worshipful” (#53,342). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wishbone” is #53,340. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wishbone is uncommon English at frequency #53,340 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for wishbone in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wish + bone. The correct English form is wishbone, spelled W-I-S-H-B-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.
  2. 2
    A spar in two parts, between which a sail is hoisted, the wishbone extending its clew.
  3. 3
    Any sailing vessel rigged with a wishbone.
  4. 4
    A particular kind of offensive formation. See wishbone formation.
  5. 5
    A suspension component similar in shape to a chicken wishbone.

Etymology

From wish + bone.

Synonyms

furculamerrythoughtwishing bone

This word in other languages

fourchette(Français)

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 "wishbone"?
"wishbone" is spelled W-I-S-H-B-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/.
What does "wishbone" mean?
As a noun, "wishbone" means: A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.
How do you pronounce "wishbone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wishbone" is /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/. 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 "wishbone"?
From wish + bone. 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 "wishbone", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Abramson#53,355unsuited#53,323aeration#53,358Aloysius#53,366

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list