cylinder
/ˈsɪlɪndə(ɹ)/
"cylinder" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cylinder” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,212 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #7,212
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surface created by projecting a closed two-dimensional curve along an axis intersecting the plane of the curve.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cylinder |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪlɪndə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #7,212 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cylinder” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cylinder is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪlɪndə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,212 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for cylinder, with forms such as "ccylinder", "clyinder", and "cyilnder". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "cinder", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French chilindre, cylindre, from Latin cylindrus, from Ancient Greek κύλινδρος (kúlindros), from κυλίνδω (kulíndō) "I roll or wallow" (intransitive). Doublet of calander and calender. The correct English form is cylinder, spelled C-Y-L-I-N-D-E-R.
Definition
- 1A surface created by projecting a closed two-dimensional curve along an axis intersecting the plane of the curve.
- 2A solid figure bounded by a cylinder and two parallel planes intersecting the cylinder.
- 3Any object in the form of a circular cylinder.
- 4A cylindrical cavity or chamber in a mechanism, such as the counterpart to a piston found in a piston-driven engine.
- 5The space in which a piston travels inside a reciprocating engine or pump.
- 6A container in the form of a cylinder with rounded ends for storing pressurized gas; a gas cylinder.
- 7An early form of phonograph recording, made on a wax cylinder.
- 8The part of a revolver that contains chambers for the cartridges.
- 9The corresponding tracks on a vertical arrangement of disks in a disk drive considered as a unit of data capacity.
Etymology
From Middle French chilindre, cylindre, from Latin cylindrus, from Ancient Greek κύλινδρος (kúlindros), from κυλίνδω (kulíndō) "I roll or wallow" (intransitive). Doublet of calander and calender.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccylinder,clyinder,cyilnder,cylidner,cylindder,cylinderr,cylindre,cylinedr,cylinnder,cyllinder,cylnider,cyylinder,yclinder
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cylinder - 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.
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 "cylinder"?
What does "cylinder" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "cylinder"?
How do you pronounce "cylinder"?
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Using “cylinder”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-Y-L-I-N-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪlɪndə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “cinder” - see the side-by-side comparison. cylinder vs cinder
- 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.