materialist

/məˈtiːɹɪəlɪst/

//məˈtiːɹɪəlɪst// noun

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

"materialist" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“materialist” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,608. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,608
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who is materialistic, concerned only with material possessions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-materialist · materialist · English

materialist · rank #46,608 · 16 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,608
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH martel

Nearest frequency peer: martel (-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 “materialist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “materialist” 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).

materialist vs materials
82% similar
materialist vs materialize
82% similar
materialist vs materialistic
85% similar

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

Key facts for materialist
PropertyValue
Headwordmaterialist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈtiːɹɪəlɪst/
Letters11
Frequency rank#46,608
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “materialist”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).materialistlands 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 “martel” (#46,607), “Matsumoto” (#46,609), “McCarty” (#46,612). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “materialist” is #46,608. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around materialist (IPA /məˈtiːɹɪəlɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,608 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for materialist, with forms such as "amterialist", "maetrialist", and "mateiralist". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "materials", "materialize", "materialistic", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From material + -ist. The correct English form is materialist, spelled M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who is materialistic, concerned only with material possessions.
  2. 2
    A follower or proponent of philosophical materialism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ironically, today's generation has become the little materialists and "fame whores" (New York Magazine's term) their boomer parents so reviled.
  2. It is weary work enough to argue with an ordinary materialist, who hurls statistics and whole strata of geological facts at your head, whilst you can only buffet him with deductions and instincts and the snowflakes of faith, that are, alas! so apt to melt in the hot embers of our troubles.

Etymology

From material + -ist.

Synonyms

hylic

This word in other languages

materialista(Español)matérialiste(Français)Materialist(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amterialist
  • maetrialist
  • mateiralist
  • materailist
  • materiailst
  • materialisst
  • materialistt
  • materialits
  • materiallist
  • materialsit
  • materilaist
  • materrialist
  • matreialist
  • matterialist
  • mmaterialist
  • mtaerialist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amterialist2maetrialist2mateiralist2materailist2materiailst2materialisst1materialistt1materialits2
Edit distance from "materialist"

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 "materialist"?
"materialist" is spelled M-A-T-E-R-I-A-L-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈtiːɹɪəlɪst/.
What does "materialist" mean?
As a noun, "materialist" means: Someone who is materialistic, concerned only with material possessions.
What words are commonly confused with "materialist"?
"materialist" is commonly confused with "materials", "materialize", "materialistic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "materialist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "materialist" is /məˈtiːɹɪəlɪst/. 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 "materialist"?
From material + -ist. 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 "materialist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

magnanimous#46,599ministering#46,625multifamily#46,642necromancer#46,650

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

lengthwise16 variantsimplacable16 variantshomogeneity16 variantsenchantress16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list