butler

/ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/

//ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"butler" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“butler” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,219. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,219
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.

Corpus desk

Index EN-butler · butler · English

butler · rank #6,219 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,219
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bud

Nearest frequency peer: bud (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “butler”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

butler vs buyer
67% similar
butler vs butte
67% similar
butler vs butter
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for butler
PropertyValue
Headwordbutler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,219
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “butler”

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).butlerlands here:

#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 “bud” (#6,218), “bros” (#6,217), “cartoon” (#6,221). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “butler” is #6,219. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around butler (IPA /ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,219 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for butler, with forms such as "bbutler", "btuler", and "bulter". 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 also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "buyer", "butte", "butter", and more, 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 butler, butlere, boteler, botelere, from Old French buttiler, butiller, boteillier (“officer in charge of wine”), from Medieval Latin botellārius, equivalent to bottle + -er. Piecewise doublet of bottler. The correct English form is butler, spelled B-U-T-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
  2. 2
    The chief male servant of a household who has charge of other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services.
  3. 3
    A valet, a male personal attendant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. “One marble hall, with staircase complete, one butler and three flunkeys to receive a retired sojer who dares to ring the bell. D'you know, old boy, I gave my bowler to the butler, whangee to one flunkey, gloves to another, and there was the fourth poor blighter looking like an orphan at a Mothers' Meeting. …"

Etymology

From Middle English butler, butlere, boteler, botelere, from Old French buttiler, butiller, boteillier (“officer in charge of wine”), from Medieval Latin botellārius, equivalent to bottle + -er. Piecewise doublet of bottler.

Synonyms

footman

This word in other languages

sumiller(Español)sommelier(Français)Butler(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbutler
  • btuler
  • bulter
  • butelr
  • butlerr
  • butller
  • butlre
  • buttler
  • ubtler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of butler - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbutler1btuler2bulter2butelr2butlerr1butller1butlre2buttler1
Edit distance from "butler"

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 "butler"?
"butler" is spelled B-U-T-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/.
What does "butler" mean?
As a noun, "butler" means: A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
What words are commonly confused with "butler"?
"butler" is commonly confused with "buyer", "butte", "butter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "butler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "butler" is /ˈbʌt.lə(ɹ)/. 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 "butler"?
From Middle English butler, butlere, boteler, botelere, from Old French buttiler, butiller, boteillier (“officer in charge of wine”), from Medieval Latin botellārius, equivalent to bottle + -er. Piecewise doublet of bottler. 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 "butler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dublin#6,232agrees#6,205essays#6,238fabric#6,240

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

cartoon9 variantstender9 variantsHughes9 variantslabels9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list