dimmer
/ˈdɪmɚ/
"dimmer" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dimmer” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #43,111 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #43,111
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 16
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A rheostat that is used to vary the intensity of a domestic electric light
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 | dimmer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɪmɚ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #43,111 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 16 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dimmer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dimmer is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪmɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #43,111 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.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dimmer, with forms such as "ddimmer", "dimemr", and "dimmerr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "diner", "diver", "dinner", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From dim (verb) + -er. The correct English form is dimmer, spelled D-I-M-M-E-R.
Definition
- 1A rheostat that is used to vary the intensity of a domestic electric light
- 2A switch used to select between the low and high headlamp beam on a road vehicle. (usually as "dimmer switch", primarily in North America; elsewhere "dipswitch" or "dipper switch")
Etymology
From dim (verb) + -er.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddimmer,dimemr,dimmerr,dimmre,dmimer,idmmer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dimmer - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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
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Using “dimmer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-M-M-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɪmɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “diner” - see the side-by-side comparison. dimmer vs diner
- 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.