meter

/ˈmitəɹ/

//ˈmitəɹ// noun

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

"meter" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“meter” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,165. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,165
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device that measures things.

Corpus desk

Index EN-meter · meter · English

meter · rank #6,165 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,165
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mentions

Nearest frequency peer: mentions (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “meter”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “meter” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

meter vs mets
60% similar
meter vs mute
60% similar
meter vs meth
60% similar

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

Key facts for meter
PropertyValue
Headwordmeter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmitəɹ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,165
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “meter” sits in English frequency

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).meter lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around meter (IPA /ˈmitəɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,165 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for meter, with forms such as "emter", "meetr", and "meterr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mets", "mute", "meth", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English metere (“one who measures, measurer”), perhaps (with change in suffix) from Old English metend (“one who measures or metes”), equivalent to mete (“to measure”) + -er. The transference from "person who measures" to "device that measures" … The correct English form is meter, spelled M-E-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device that measures things.
  2. 2
    A device that measures things.
  3. 3
    One who metes or measures.
  4. 4
    A line above or below a hanging net, to which the net is attached in order to strengthen it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. a labouring coal-meter

Etymology

From Middle English metere (“one who measures, measurer”), perhaps (with change in suffix) from Old English metend (“one who measures or metes”), equivalent to mete (“to measure”) + -er. The transference from "person who measures" to "device that measures" was probably assisted by association with -meter, as in barometer, etc. Cognate with Scots mettar, metter (“meter, measurer”), Saterland Frisian Meter, Meeter (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), West Frisian mjitter (“measurer”), Dutch meter (“measurer, gauge”), German Low German Meter (“measuring device, gauge”), German Messer (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), Swedish mätare (“measurer”).

This word in other languages

medidor(Español)mètre(Français)Messgerät(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emter
  • meetr
  • meterr
  • metter
  • mmeter
  • mteer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emter2meetr2meterr1metter1mmeter1mteer2
Edit distance from "meter"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "meter"?
"meter" is spelled M-E-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmitəɹ/.
What does "meter" mean?
As a noun, "meter" means: A device that measures things.
What words are commonly confused with "meter"?
"meter" is commonly confused with "mets", "mute", "meth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "meter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "meter" is /ˈmitəɹ/. 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 "meter"?
From Middle English metere (“one who measures, measurer”), perhaps (with change in suffix) from Old English metend (“one who measures or metes”), equivalent to mete (“to measure”) + -er. The transference from "person who measures" to "device that ... 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 "meter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lucas#6,162olive#6,168Karen#6,157Julie#6,156

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

sells6 variantsskull6 variantsflies6 variantsdrill6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "meter". Here's where to go from here.

  • "meter" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "mets". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,165 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list