filter

/ˈfɪltə/

//ˈfɪltə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“filter” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,449. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,449
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-filter · filter · English

filter · rank #4,449 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,449
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH feeding

Nearest frequency peer: feeding (-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 “filter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “filter” 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).

filter vs flyer
67% similar
filter vs filth
67% similar
filter vs finer
67% similar

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

Key facts for filter
PropertyValue
Headwordfilter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɪltə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,449
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “filter”

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).filterlands 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 “feeding” (#4,448), “galaxy” (#4,450), “experimental” (#4,447). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “filter” is #4,449. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around filter (IPA /ˈfɪltə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,449 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for filter, with forms such as "ffilter", "filetr", and "fillter". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "flyer", "filth", "finer", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum (compare also Old French feutre (“felt; filter”)), from Frankish *filtir, from Proto-West Germanic *felt. See felt. Doublet of phin. The correct English form is filter, spelled F-I-L-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another.
  2. 2
    Electronics or software that separates unwanted signals (for example noise) from wanted signals or that attenuates selected frequencies.
  3. 3
    Any item, mechanism, device, or procedure that acts to separate or isolate.
  4. 4
    Self-restraint in speech.
  5. 5
    A non-empty upper set (of a partially ordered set) which is closed under binary infima (a.k.a. meets).
  6. 6
    A translucent object placed in the light path of a camera to remove certain wavelengths (colors), or a computer program that simulates such an effect.
  7. 7
    An appearance-altering digital image effect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then add four drops of crocodile semen, and pass the mixture through a filter.
  2. He runs an email filter to catch the junk mail.

Etymology

From Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum (compare also Old French feutre (“felt; filter”)), from Frankish *filtir, from Proto-West Germanic *felt. See felt. Doublet of phin.

Antonyms

ideal

This word in other languages

filtro(Español)filtre(Français)Filter(Deutsch)filtro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffilter
  • filetr
  • fillter
  • filterr
  • filtre
  • filtter
  • fitler
  • fliter
  • iflter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of filter - 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.

ffilter1filetr2fillter1filterr1filtre2filtter1fitler2fliter2
Edit distance from "filter"

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 "filter"?
"filter" is spelled F-I-L-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɪltə/.
What does "filter" mean?
As a noun, "filter" means: A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another.
What words are commonly confused with "filter"?
"filter" is commonly confused with "flyer", "filth", "finer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "filter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "filter" is /ˈfɪltə/. 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 "filter"?
From Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum (compare also Old French feutre (“felt; filter”)), from Frankish *filtir, from Proto-West Germanic *felt. See felt. Doublet of phin. 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 "filter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

galaxy#4,450grades#4,452Greece#4,453drives#4,442

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

equipped9 variantsintent9 variantsKennedy9 variantscounts9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list