autopilot

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

/ˈɔːtəʊˌpaɪlət/

//ˈɔːtəʊˌpaɪlət// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“autopilot” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,466. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,466
frequency rank, English: 3,931
“A” headwords: 12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being.

Corpus desk

Index EN-autopilot · autopilot · English

autopilot · rank #23,466 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #23,466
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-5 5 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-MID 12 variants
BOOK-MID 3,931
PHOTO-FINISH aunty

Nearest frequency peer: aunty (-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.

attrition

76,538
aud

76,537
aunty

76,536
autopilot

76,535
baggy

76,534
bailout

76,533

What this shows “autopilot” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for autopilot
Property	Value
Headword	autopilot
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɔːtəʊˌpaɪlət/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#23,466
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “autopilot”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).autopilotlands here:

#23,466

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “aunty” (#23,465), “baggy” (#23,467), “aud” (#23,464). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “autopilot” is #23,466. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around autopilot (IPA /ˈɔːtəʊˌpaɪlət/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,466 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for autopilot, with forms such as "atuopilot", "auotpilot", and "autoiplot". 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 typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From auto- + pilot. The correct English form is autopilot, spelled A-U-T-O-P-I-L-O-T.

Definition

1
A mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being.
2
A state of mind where one no longer thinks about doing one's actions, but acts mechanically.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

I set the autopilot to due south, so I could get some rest.
I've been doing this 12 hours non-stop, and am so hungry and tired that I've stopped thinking: I'm now on autopilot.

Etymology

From auto- + pilot.

This word in other languages

autopiloto(Español)pilote automatique(Français)Autopilot(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

atuopilot
auotpilot
autoiplot
autopillot
autopilott
autopilto
autopiolt
autopliot
autoppilot
autpoilot
auttopilot
uatopilot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of autopilot - 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.

Edit distance from "autopilot"

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 "autopilot"?

"autopilot" is spelled A-U-T-O-P-I-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔːtəʊˌpaɪlət/.

What does "autopilot" mean?

As a noun, "autopilot" means: A mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being.

What are common misspellings of "autopilot"?

Common misspellings include "atuopilot", "auotpilot", "autoiplot", "autopillot", "autopilott". The correct spelling is "autopilot".

How do you pronounce "autopilot"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "autopilot" is /ˈɔːtəʊˌpaɪlət/. 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 "autopilot"?

From auto- + pilot. 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 "autopilot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

attrition#23,463 blackjack#23,475 bluegrass#23,477 budgetary#23,482

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

alderman12 variants unspoken12 variants unsigned12 variants epiphany12 variants