colonist

/ˈkɒlənɪst/

//ˈkɒlənɪst// noun

"colonist" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“colonist” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,028 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#51,028
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A founder of a colony.

Key facts for colonist
PropertyValue
Headwordcolonist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒlənɪst/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,028
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “colonist” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). colonist lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for colonist is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒlənɪst/. Corpus data places it at rank #51,028 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for colonist, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From colon(y) + -ist. The correct English form is colonist, spelled C-O-L-O-N-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A founder of a colony.
  2. 2
    A member of a colony.

Etymology

From colon(y) + -ist.

This word in other languages

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 "colonist"?
"colonist" is spelled C-O-L-O-N-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒlənɪst/.
What does "colonist" mean?
As a noun, "colonist" means: A founder of a colony.
How do you pronounce "colonist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "colonist" is /ˈkɒlənɪst/. 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 "colonist"?
From colon(y) + -ist. 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.

Using “colonist”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-O-N-I-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɒlənɪst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list