extensor

noun

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

The verdict

“extensor” is uncommon English (frequency #73,171 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,171
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A muscle whose contraction extends or straightens a limb or body part.

Corpus desk

Index EN-extensor · extensor · English

extensor · rank #73,171 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,171
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH exorcised

Nearest frequency peer: exorcised (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “extensor”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “extensor” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for extensor
PropertyValue
Headwordextensor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#73,171
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “extensor” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).extensorfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “exorcised” (#73,170), “fantasyland” (#73,172), “Faversham” (#73,174). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “extensor” is #73,171. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

extensor is uncommon English at frequency #73,171 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A muscle whose contraction extends or straightens a limb or body part.".

extensor has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is extensor, spelled E-X-T-E-N-S-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A muscle whose contraction extends or straightens a limb or body part.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Starting at the point of shoulder, use muscle squeezings, picking-ups, kneadings and gentle frictions, interspersed with effleurages, over the triceps muscle as well as the fleshy part of the flexor and extensor muscle groups.
  2. The bird is then off on a mad dash like an aquatic Roadrunner cartoon: It spreads its legs wide with strong extensor thrusts and long forward strides, and it then steps in the water four or five times, increasing its speed and flapping its wings until it achieves liftoff with a final drag of its toes in the water.

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 "extensor"?
"extensor" is spelled E-X-T-E-N-S-O-R.
What does "extensor" mean?
As a noun, "extensor" means: A muscle whose contraction extends or straightens a limb or body part.
What language does "extensor" come from?
"extensor" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "extensor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list