woodpecker

/ˈwʊdpɛkə/

//ˈwʊdpɛkə// noun

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

"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
1,759
“W” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any bird of species-rich family Picidae, with a strong pointed beak suitable for pecking holes in wood.

Corpus desk

Index EN-woodpecker · woodpecker · English

woodpecker · rank #36,399 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,399
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH withering

Nearest frequency peer: withering (-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 “woodpecker”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “woodpecker” 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
Key facts for woodpecker
PropertyValue
Headwordwoodpecker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwʊdpɛkə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#36,399
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “woodpecker”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).woodpeckerlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “withering” (#36,398), “winking” (#36,397), “WTC” (#36,402). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “woodpecker” is #36,399. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around woodpecker (IPA /ˈwʊdpɛkə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,399 among 1,759 “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

  1. 1
    Any bird of species-rich family Picidae, with a strong pointed beak suitable for pecking holes in wood.
  2. 2
    A Type 92 heavy machine gun.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On its summit towered aloft the fir tree which has often been referred to, like a mighty mast, full of woodpeckers' holes.
  2. His skin was scarlet like the head of the green woodpecker.

Etymology

From wood + pecker. Compare Middle English wod spek (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodehake (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodewale (“woodpecker”). Displaced speight.

Synonyms

speightspight

This word in other languages

pájaro carpintero(Español)pic(Français)Specht(Deutsch)

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.

owodpecker2wodopecker2wodpecker1wooddpecker1woodepcker2woodpceker2woodpeccker1woodpecekr2
Edit distance from "woodpecker"

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"?
"woodpecker" is spelled W-O-O-D-P-E-C-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwʊdpɛkə/.
What does "woodpecker" mean?
As a noun, "woodpecker" means: Any bird of species-rich family Picidae, with a strong pointed beak suitable for pecking holes in wood.
What are common misspellings of "woodpecker"?
Common misspellings include "owodpecker", "wodopecker", "wodpecker", "wooddpecker", "woodepcker". The correct spelling is "woodpecker".
How do you pronounce "woodpecker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "woodpecker" is /ˈwʊdpɛkə/. 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 "woodpecker"?
From wood + pecker. Compare Middle English wod spek (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodehake (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodewale (“woodpecker”). Displaced speight. 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 "woodpecker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unassuming#36,382tiebreaker#36,374antiseptic#36,431sweatpants#36,363

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

antiquarian15 variantssyntactic15 variantsBrentford15 variantssensuality15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list