administer
/ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stə/
"administer" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“administer” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,059 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #14,059
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To apportion out, distribute.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | administer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stə/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #14,059 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “administer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for administer is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stə/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,059 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for administer, with forms such as "addminister", "adimnister", and "admiinster". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "administered", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English administren, from Old French aminister, from Latin administrare (“to manage, execute”), from ad (“to”) + ministrare (“to attend, serve”), from minister (“servant”); see minister. The correct English form is administer, spelled A-D-M-I-N-I-S-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1To apportion out, distribute.
- 2To manage or supervise the conduct, performance or execution of; to govern or regulate the parameters for the conduct, performance or execution of; to work in an administrative capacity.
- 3To minister (to).
- 4To settle, as the estate of one who dies without a will, or whose will fails of an executor.
- 5To give, as an oath.
- 6To give (a drug, to a patient), be it orally or by any other means.
- 7To cause (a patient, human or animal) to ingest (a drug), either by openly offering or through deceit.
Etymology
From Middle English administren, from Old French aminister, from Latin administrare (“to manage, execute”), from ad (“to”) + ministrare (“to attend, serve”), from minister (“servant”); see minister.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: addminister,adimnister,admiinster,adminisetr,adminisster,administerr,administre,administter,adminitser,adminnister,adminsiter,admminister,admniister,amdinister,daminister
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of administer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "administer"?
What does "administer" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "administer"?
How do you pronounce "administer"?
What is the origin of the word "administer"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “administer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-M-I-N-I-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “administered” - see the side-by-side comparison. administer vs administered
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.