killer

/ˈkɪlə(ɹ)/

//ˈkɪlə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“killer” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,176. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,176
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who or that which kills.

Corpus desk

Index EN-killer · killer · English

killer · rank #3,176 · 7 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,176
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH joining

Nearest frequency peer: joining (-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 “killer”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “killer” 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).

killer vs kills
67% similar
killer vs kinder
67% similar
killer vs Kohler
50% similar

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

Key facts for killer
PropertyValue
Headwordkiller
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɪlə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,176
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “killer”

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).killerlands 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 “joining” (#3,175), “lesson” (#3,177), “Jews” (#3,174). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “killer” is #3,176. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around killer (IPA /ˈkɪlə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,176 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for killer, with forms such as "ikller", "kilelr", and "kiler". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "kills", "kinder", "Kohler", 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 killer, kyller. By surface analysis, kill + -er. The correct English form is killer, spelled K-I-L-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who or that which kills.
  2. 2
    That which causes stress or is extremely difficult, especially that which may cause failure at a task.
  3. 3
    Something that is so far ahead of its competition that it effectively kills off that competition.
  4. 4
    A remarkably impressive person or thing.
  5. 5
    A knockout form of darts or pool involving several players.
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of killer whale.
  7. 7
    A club used for killing fish.
  8. 8
    A particularly heavy type of handstamp, or portion of one, often obscuring a large part of the postage stamp.
  9. 9
    Synonym of virama (“kind of diacritical mark”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There’s a killer on the loose.
  2. My cat is a habitual bird killer.

Etymology

From Middle English killer, kyller. By surface analysis, kill + -er.

Synonyms

homicidehomiciderkiller

Antonyms

healerlife giver

This word in other languages

asesino(Español)tueur(Français)Töter(Deutsch)homicida(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ikller
  • kilelr
  • kiler
  • killerr
  • killre
  • kkiller
  • kliler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ikller2kilelr2kiler1killerr1killre2kkiller1kliler2
Edit distance from "killer"

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 "killer"?
"killer" is spelled K-I-L-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɪlə(ɹ)/.
What does "killer" mean?
As a noun, "killer" means: One who or that which kills.
What words are commonly confused with "killer"?
"killer" is commonly confused with "kills", "kinder", "Kohler". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "killer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "killer" is /ˈkɪlə(ɹ)/. 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 "killer"?
From Middle English killer, kyller. By surface analysis, kill + -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 "killer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lesson#3,177limits#3,178loving#3,179gotten#3,168

Similar misspelling depth

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

mirror7 variantsmount7 variantstears7 variantsaccused7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list