wishbone

Name: wishbone, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/

//ˈwɪʃˌboʊn// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“wishbone” is uncommon English (frequency #53,340 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,340
frequency rank, English: 12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 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.

Key facts for wishbone
Property	Value
Headword	wishbone
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#53,340
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wishbone” sits in English frequency

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

#53,340

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wishbone is uncommon English at frequency #53,340 among 12,113 “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
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
A spar in two parts, between which a sail is hoisted, the wishbone extending its clew.
3
Any sailing vessel rigged with a wishbone.
4
A particular kind of offensive formation. See wishbone formation.
5
A suspension component similar in shape to a chicken wishbone.

Etymology

From wish + bone.

Synonyms

furcula merrythoughtwishing 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.

Using “wishbone”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is W-I-S-H-B-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.