identifier

noun

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

"identifier" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“identifier” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,790. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,790
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who identifies; a person who establishes the identity of someone or something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-identifier · identifier · English

identifier · rank #24,790 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #24,790
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH IDC

Nearest frequency peer: IDC (-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 “identifier”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “identifier” 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).

identifier vs identified
90% similar

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

Key facts for identifier
PropertyValue
Headwordidentifier
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#24,790
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “identifier”

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).identifierlands 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 “IDC” (#24,789), “incite” (#24,791), “hunk” (#24,788). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “identifier” is #24,790. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around identifier, anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,790 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for identifier, with forms such as "dientifier", "iddentifier", and "idenitfier". 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, "identified", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From identify + -er. The correct English form is identifier, spelled I-D-E-N-T-I-F-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who identifies; a person who establishes the identity of someone or something.
  2. 2
    Something that identifies or uniquely points to something or someone else.
  3. 3
    One who identifies as a particular type or role; one who says and believes that they are a certain thing.
  4. 4
    A guidebook that helps determine the specific class of an object (such as a mushroom, herb, fish, bird, drug, or mineral), or its individual identity (such as that of a star).
  5. 5
    A formal name used in source code to refer to a variable, function, procedure, package, etc. or in an operating system to refer to a process, user, group, etc.
  6. 6
    A code that distinguishes a particular element from all other elements in a document.
  7. 7
    A primary key.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Identifier personally inspects each horse in each race by verifying the lip tattoo, body color, head and leg markings, scars, and chestnut (night eyes).
  2. The foal papers are documents recording the horse's registration; no horse can start in any race unless his papers are in the hands of the track's identifier.

Etymology

From identify + -er.

Antonyms

identifiee

This word in other languages

identificador(Español)identificateur(Français)Kennzeichen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dientifier
  • iddentifier
  • idenitfier
  • idenntifier
  • identfiier
  • identifeir
  • identiffier
  • identifierr
  • identifire
  • identiifer
  • identtifier
  • idetnifier
  • idnetifier
  • iedntifier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

dientifier2iddentifier1idenitfier2idenntifier1identfiier2identifeir2identiffier1identifierr1
Edit distance from "identifier"

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 "identifier"?
"identifier" is spelled I-D-E-N-T-I-F-I-E-R.
What does "identifier" mean?
As a noun, "identifier" means: Someone who identifies; a person who establishes the identity of someone or something.
What words are commonly confused with "identifier"?
"identifier" is commonly confused with "identified". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "identifier"?
From identify + -er. 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 "identifier", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

informally#24,795inhalation#24,796figurative#24,753mediocrity#24,827

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

mouthpiece14 variantsethnically14 variantsneutralize14 variantsdormitory14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list