container

/kənˈteɪnə/

//kənˈteɪnə// noun

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

"container" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“container” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,775. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,775
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who contains; something that contains.

Corpus desk

Index EN-container · container · English

container · rank #6,775 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,775
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH considers

Nearest frequency peer: considers (-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 “container”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “container” 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).

container vs contains
78% similar
container vs contain
78% similar
container vs contained
89% similar

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

Key facts for container
PropertyValue
Headwordcontainer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈteɪnə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#6,775
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “container”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).containerlands 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 “considers” (#6,774), “crushed” (#6,777), “cloth” (#6,772). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “container” is #6,775. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around container (IPA /kənˈteɪnə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,775 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for container, with forms such as "ccontainer", "cnotainer", and "conatiner". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "contains", "contain", "contained", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English conteyner, equivalent to contain + -er. The correct English form is container, spelled C-O-N-T-A-I-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  2. 2
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  3. 3
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  4. 4
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  5. 5
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  6. 6
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  7. 7
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  8. 8
    Someone who contains; something that contains.
  9. 9
    Someone who contains; something that contains.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Will container development merely bring about a substitution for the body of the covered wagon? Probably not, in his view, but he believes that the size and tonnage of the container are likely to increase pari passu with the lifting capacity of handling appliances.
  2. The specifiers of the Freightliner network had the foresight to base the rail journey on carrying ISO containers which are 8ft wide and originally 8ft tall (although now increased to a height of 9ft 6ins), with a variety of lengths.

Etymology

From Middle English conteyner, equivalent to contain + -er.

Synonyms

containerreceptacle

This word in other languages

recipiente(Español)conteneur(Français)Behälter(Deutsch)recipiente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontainer
  • cnotainer
  • conatiner
  • conntainer
  • contaienr
  • containerr
  • containner
  • containre
  • contanier
  • contianer
  • conttainer
  • cotnainer
  • ocntainer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of container - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccontainer1cnotainer2conatiner2conntainer1contaienr2containerr1containner1containre2
Edit distance from "container"

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 "container"?
"container" is spelled C-O-N-T-A-I-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈteɪnə/.
What does "container" mean?
As a noun, "container" means: Someone who contains; something that contains.
What words are commonly confused with "container"?
"container" is commonly confused with "contains", "contain", "contained". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "container"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "container" is /kənˈteɪnə/. 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 "container"?
From Middle English conteyner, equivalent to contain + -er. 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 "container", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

considers#6,774Amsterdam#6,758achieving#6,756Yorkshire#6,755

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

peninsula13 variantsremainder13 variantsservants13 variantsaesthetic13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list