woodpecker
/ˈwʊdpɛkə/
"woodpecker" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“woodpecker” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,399. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #36,399
- frequency rank, English
- 12,113
- “W” headwords
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any bird of species-rich family Picidae, with a strong pointed beak suitable for pecking holes in wood.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | woodpecker |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈwʊdpɛkə/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #36,399 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “woodpecker” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 15 spelling variants around woodpecker (IPA /ˈwʊdpɛkə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,399 among 12,113 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for woodpecker, with forms such as "owodpecker", "wodopecker", and "wodpecker". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From wood + pecker. Compare Middle English wod spek (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodehake (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodewale (“woodpecker”). Displaced speight. The correct English form is woodpecker, spelled W-O-O-D-P-E-C-K-E-R.
Definition
- 1Any bird of species-rich family Picidae, with a strong pointed beak suitable for pecking holes in wood.
- 2A Type 92 heavy machine gun.
Etymology
From wood + pecker. Compare Middle English wod spek (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodehake (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodewale (“woodpecker”). Displaced speight.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: owodpecker,wodopecker,wodpecker,wooddpecker,woodepcker,woodpceker,woodpeccker,woodpecekr,woodpeckerr,woodpeckker,woodpeckre,woodpekcer,woodppecker,woopdecker,wwoodpecker
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of woodpecker - 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.
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 "woodpecker"?
What does "woodpecker" mean?
What are common misspellings of "woodpecker"?
How do you pronounce "woodpecker"?
What is the origin of the word "woodpecker"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “woodpecker”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-O-O-D-P-E-C-K-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwʊdpɛkə/ (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
Same frequency band
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.