Words from New World Languages

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Study Words

  1. cacao
  2. kona
  3. malihini
  4. wikiwiki
  5. Tuckahoe
  6. pecan
  7. condor
  8. iguana
  9. hurricane [1]
  10. kahuna
  11. hogan
  12. jerky
  13. muskrat
  14. hominy
  15. wigwam
  16. pampas
  17. caribou [2]
  18. toboggan
  19. persimmon
  20. quinine
  21. powwow
  22. bayou
  23. coyote [3]
  24. tamale
  25. toucan
  26. poi
  27. petunia
  28. cashew
  29. luau
  30. totem
  31. mahimahi
  32. hickory
  33. chipotle
  34. skunk
  35. woodchuck [4]
  36. chocolate
  37. muumuu
  38. puma
  39. tomato

Challenge Words

  1. opossum
  2. terrapin
  3. ocelot
  4. hoomalimali
  5. coati

Spelling Tips

  1. 1 Remember that words settling down in English are often spelled according to English word patterns. If you're completely unsure of how to spell a word from a New World language, you can try just "sounding it out." This strategy would work for hurricane, muskrat, wigwam, and several other words on the list.
  2. 2 Take note of the language(s) a word may have traveled through on its way to English, for the path to English often gives a clue about spelling. For example, if it had been up to an English speaker, the \ü\ sound at the end of caribou would probably have been spelled oo; but the influence of French gives us the current spelling, because French usually spells this sound ou.
  3. 3 Coyote shows evidence of having passed through Spanish on its way to English: The voiced final e is typical of Spanish words. Another example from this list is tamale.
  4. 4 Remember what folk etymology is? Words that entered English from New World languages were prime candidates for this process. If parts of a native word sounded familiar, they were often spelled by the settlers in a familiar way, as in woodchuck. Muskrat is also probably a result of folk etymology.