zebrafish

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

/ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ/

//ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ// noun

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

The verdict

“zebrafish” is uncommon English (frequency #55,876 among 2,810 “Z” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,876
frequency rank, English: 2,810
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small striped fish of species Danio rerio, originally from India but now common as an aquarium fish and as a subject of genetic experiments.

Key facts for zebrafish
Property	Value
Headword	zebrafish
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#55,876
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zebrafish” 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). zebrafish lands here:

#55,876

#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

zebrafish is uncommon English at frequency #55,876 among 2,810 “Z” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for zebrafish in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From zebra + fish. The correct English form is zebrafish, spelled Z-E-B-R-A-F-I-S-H.

Definition

1
A small striped fish of species Danio rerio, originally from India but now common as an aquarium fish and as a subject of genetic experiments.
2
A member of certain species of Percina (logperch).
3
Certain venomous lionfish, of genus Pterois.

Etymology

From zebra + fish.

Synonyms

rough-belly darter

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 "zebrafish"?

"zebrafish" is spelled Z-E-B-R-A-F-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ/.

What does "zebrafish" mean?

As a noun, "zebrafish" means: A small striped fish of species Danio rerio, originally from India but now common as an aquarium fish and as a subject of genetic experiments.

How do you pronounce "zebrafish"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zebrafish" is /ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ/. 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 "zebrafish"?

From zebra + fish. 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 “zebrafish”

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

The one correct English spelling is Z-E-B-R-A-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈziːbɹəˌfɪʃ/ (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.