digger

/ˈdɪɡɚ/

//ˈdɪɡɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“digger” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,240. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,240
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large piece of machinery that digs holes or trenches.

Corpus desk

Index EN-digger · digger · English

digger · rank #23,240 · 7 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,240
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH devour

Nearest frequency peer: devour (-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 “digger”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “digger” 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).

digger vs diner
67% similar
digger vs diver
67% similar
digger vs Diggs
50% similar

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

Key facts for digger
PropertyValue
Headworddigger
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪɡɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,240
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “digger”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “devour” (#23,239), “disarmament” (#23,241), “desolate” (#23,238). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “digger” is #23,240. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around digger (IPA /ˈdɪɡɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,240 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for digger, with forms such as "ddigger", "dgiger", and "digegr". 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, "diner", "diver", "Diggs", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dyggar, equivalent to dig + -er. In the sense of "Australian soldier", attributed to the considerable time that soldiers spent digging trenches during World War I. The correct English form is digger, spelled D-I-G-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large piece of machinery that digs holes or trenches.
  2. 2
    A tool for digging.
  3. 3
    A spade (playing card).
  4. 4
    One who digs.
  5. 5
    A gold miner, one who digs for gold.
  6. 6
    An Australian soldier.
  7. 7
    a friendly term of address, especially to a man.
  8. 8
    A member of any Native American people in the western United States, especially Native Californians.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cables are placed from 16 in. to 2 ft. down, and to save time and labour use was made of a mechanical digger lent by the Swedish State Railways.
  2. The post hole digger did look ancient. I was pretty certain myself that it hadn′t dug any holes for a long, long time.

Etymology

From Middle English dyggar, equivalent to dig + -er. In the sense of "Australian soldier", attributed to the considerable time that soldiers spent digging trenches during World War I.

This word in other languages

excavateur(Français)Gräber(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddigger
  • dgiger
  • digegr
  • diger
  • diggerr
  • diggre
  • idgger

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddigger1dgiger2digegr2diger1diggerr1diggre2idgger2
Edit distance from "digger"

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 "digger"?
"digger" is spelled D-I-G-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪɡɚ/.
What does "digger" mean?
As a noun, "digger" means: A large piece of machinery that digs holes or trenches.
What words are commonly confused with "digger"?
"digger" is commonly confused with "diner", "diver", "Diggs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "digger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "digger" is /ˈdɪɡɚ/. 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 "digger"?
From Middle English dyggar, equivalent to dig + -er. In the sense of "Australian soldier", attributed to the considerable time that soldiers spent digging trenches during World War I. 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 "digger", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

devour#23,239Dmitry#23,245Dorian#23,247doubly#23,248

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Elgin7 variantsfelon7 variantsgyms7 variantsbusts7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list