Word Confusion: Opossum versus Possum

Posted January 28, 2025 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

I’ve always thought this word confusion opossum vs possum were two different animals. Turns out I’m wrong.

A possum is simply an informal way of saying opossum.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Opossum Possum

A brown-and-black opposum is in three-quarter profile in a tree.
Opossum Sitting on Tree in Countryside by Gleive Marcio Rodrigues de Souza is in the public domain, via Pexels.

Black-and-white possum posed on a tree branch with three babies on her back.
Mama Possum is in the public domain, via PxHere.
Part of Grammar:
Noun

Plural: opossum, opossums

Noun

Plural: possum, possums

Noun:
An American marsupial which has a naked prehensile tail and hind feet with an opposable thumb
Noun:
[Chiefly Southern US; informal] An opossum

A tree-dwelling Australasian marsupial that typically has a prehensile tail

Examples:
Noun:
The cat-sized common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) of North, Central, and South America was formerly known as the Virginia opossum in North America and was considered a distinct species (D. virginiana).

“Some few species alone have passed the barrier, and may be considered as wanderers from the south, such as the puma, opossum, kinkajou, and peccari” (Darwin, ch 7).

“The staid, sober, thinking, and industrious ones of our number would employ themselves in making corn-brooms, mats, horse-collars, and baskets; and another class of us would spend the time in hunting opossums, hares, and coons” (Douglass, ch 10).

Noun:
She’s just playing possum.

Possums can be found in North and Central America as well as Australia.

“He’s about as big as a big ‘possum, and his face is striped, black and white” (Cather).

“Those tangy frosty afternoons, when he had been forced to clean barns and plow while the other boys went rabbit and possum hunting or nutting, were afternoons whose loss he still mourned” (Haldeman-Julius).

History of the Word:
Early 17th century, from the Virginia Algonquian opassom, from op (white) + assom (dog). Early 17th century in a shortening of opossum.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Building Your Website, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Marketing Help & Resources, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, and/or Writing Ideas and Resources.

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Resources for Opossum versus Possum

Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.

Apple Dictionary.com

Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Originally published 1918. Global Publishers, 2024. <https://www.amazon.com/My-Antonia-Original-Cather-Classics-ebook/dp/B0BY7LQBNK>. Ebook.

Darwin, Charles. The Voyage of the Beagle. Originally published 1839. Penguin Classics, 1989. <https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Beagle-Charles-Darwin/dp/014043268X>. Ebook.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. Originally published 1845. Grapevine, 2019. <https://www.amazon.com/Narrative-Life-Frederick-Douglass-ebook/dp/B07Y22HB74/>. Ebook.

The Free Dictionary: opossum, possum

Haldeman-Julius, Marcet and Emanuel Haldeman-Julius. Dust. Originally published New York: Brentano’s, 1921. 2012. <https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Marcet-Haldeman-Julius-ebook/dp/B0083ZXXQM/>. Ebook.

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Nordopossum is Ventus55‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.

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