cinder

/ˈsɪndɚ/

//ˈsɪndɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cinder” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,365. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,365
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Partially or mostly burnt material that results from incomplete combustion of coal or wood etc.; it often rides the rising smoke column into the air, and it can pose a fire hazard when it lands, in...

Corpus desk

Index EN-cinder · cinder · English

cinder · rank #30,365 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,365
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cirque

Nearest frequency peer: cirque (+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 “cinder”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cinder” 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).

cinder vs cine
67% similar
cinder vs Cindy
50% similar
cinder vs conde
67% similar

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

Key facts for cinder
PropertyValue
Headwordcinder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪndɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,365
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cinder”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cinderlands 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 “cirque” (#30,366), “chisel” (#30,363), “chimpanzee” (#30,362). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cinder” is #30,365. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around cinder (IPA /ˈsɪndɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,365 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cinder, with forms such as "ccinder", "cidner", and "cindder". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "cine", "Cindy", "conde", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cyndyr, syndir, synder, sinder, from Old English sinder (“cinder, dross, slag, scoria, dross of iron, impurity of metal”), from Proto-West Germanic *sindr, from Proto-Germanic *sindrą, *sindraz (“dross, cinder, slag”), from Proto-Indo-Eu… The correct English form is cinder, spelled C-I-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Partially or mostly burnt material that results from incomplete combustion of coal or wood etc.; it often rides the rising smoke column into the air, and it can pose a fire hazard when it lands, in dry conditions.
  2. 2
    An ember.
  3. 3
    Slag from a metal furnace.
  4. 4
    Any strong stimulant added to tea, soda water, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of their blast in such conditions.
  2. If from adown the hopeful chops The fat upon the cinder drops, To stinking smoke it turns the flame, Poisoning the flesh from whence it came

Etymology

From Middle English cyndyr, syndir, synder, sinder, from Old English sinder (“cinder, dross, slag, scoria, dross of iron, impurity of metal”), from Proto-West Germanic *sindr, from Proto-Germanic *sindrą, *sindraz (“dross, cinder, slag”), from Proto-Indo-European *sendʰro- (“coagulating fluid, liquid slag, scale, cinder”). Cognate with Scots sinder (“ember, cinder”), West Frisian sindel, sintel (“cinder, slag”), Dutch sintel (“cinder, ember, slag”), Middle Low German sinder, sinter (“cinder, slag”), German Sinter (“dross of iron, scale”), Danish sinder (“spark of ignited iron, cinder”), Swedish sinder (“slag or dross from a forge”), Icelandic sindur (“scoring”), Old Church Slavonic сѧдра (sędra, “lime cinder, gypsum”). Spelling (c- for s-) influenced by unrelated French cendre (“ashes”). Doublet of sinter.

This word in other languages

ceniza(Español)cendre(Français)Asche(Deutsch)borralho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccinder
  • cidner
  • cindder
  • cinderr
  • cindre
  • cinedr
  • cinnder
  • cnider
  • icnder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccinder1cidner2cindder1cinderr1cindre2cinedr2cinnder1cnider2
Edit distance from "cinder"

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 "cinder"?
"cinder" is spelled C-I-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪndɚ/.
What does "cinder" mean?
As a noun, "cinder" means: Partially or mostly burnt material that results from incomplete combustion of coal or wood etc.; it often rides the rising smoke column into the air, and it can pose a fire hazard when it lands, in...
What words are commonly confused with "cinder"?
"cinder" is commonly confused with "cine", "Cindy", "conde". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cinder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cinder" is /ˈsɪndɚ/. 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 "cinder"?
From Middle English cyndyr, syndir, synder, sinder, from Old English sinder (“cinder, dross, slag, scoria, dross of iron, impurity of metal”), from Proto-West Germanic *sindr, from Proto-Germanic *sindrą, *sindraz (“dross, cinder, slag”), from Pro... 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 "cinder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cirque#30,366chisel#30,363condor#30,375culver#30,385

Similar misspelling depth

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

argyle9 variantsarable9 variantsAltman9 variantsfirsts9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list