navigator

/ˈnavɪɡeɪtə/

//ˈnavɪɡeɪtə// noun

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

"navigator" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“navigator” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,916. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,916
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who navigates, especially an officer with that responsibility on a ship or an aircrew member with that responsibility on an aircraft.

Corpus desk

Index EN-navigator · navigator · English

navigator · rank #19,916 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,916
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH NES

Nearest frequency peer: NES (+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 “navigator”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “navigator” 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).

navigator vs navigate
78% similar
navigator vs navigation
80% similar

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

Key facts for navigator
PropertyValue
Headwordnavigator
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnavɪɡeɪtə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#19,916
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “navigator”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).navigatorlands 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 “NES” (#19,917), “nightingale” (#19,918), “narrower” (#19,913). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “navigator” is #19,916. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around navigator (IPA /ˈnavɪɡeɪtə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,916 among 1,534 “N” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for navigator, with forms such as "anvigator", "naivgator", and "navgiator". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "navigate", "navigation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin nāvigātor. By surface analysis, navigate + -or. The correct English form is navigator, spelled N-A-V-I-G-A-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who navigates, especially an officer with that responsibility on a ship or an aircrew member with that responsibility on an aircraft.
  2. 2
    A sea explorer.
  3. 3
    A device that navigates an aircraft, automobile or missile.
  4. 4
    A user interface that allows navigating through a structure of any kind.
  5. 5
    A labourer on an engineering project such as a canal; a navvy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The increases kept many navigator groups, which help people pick policies, very busy. At the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, 34 navigators helped up to 120 residents select plans each week during this open enrollment season, which ran from November 1 through January 16, said Daniel Bouton, vice president for health and wellness at the nonprofit group.
  2. He felt having a Micronesian navigator meant he needed a pureblooded Polynesian, preferably a Hawaiian, as captain.

Etymology

From Latin nāvigātor. By surface analysis, navigate + -or.

This word in other languages

navegante(Español)navigateur(Français)Navigator(Deutsch)navegante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anvigator
  • naivgator
  • navgiator
  • naviagtor
  • navigaotr
  • navigatorr
  • navigatro
  • navigattor
  • naviggator
  • navigtaor
  • navvigator
  • nnavigator
  • nvaigator

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of navigator - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

anvigator2naivgator2navgiator2naviagtor2navigaotr2navigatorr1navigatro2navigattor1
Edit distance from "navigator"

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 "navigator"?
"navigator" is spelled N-A-V-I-G-A-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnavɪɡeɪtə/.
What does "navigator" mean?
As a noun, "navigator" means: A person who navigates, especially an officer with that responsibility on a ship or an aircrew member with that responsibility on an aircraft.
What words are commonly confused with "navigator"?
"navigator" is commonly confused with "navigate", "navigation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "navigator"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "navigator" is /ˈnavɪɡeɪtə/. 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 "navigator"?
From Latin nāvigātor. By surface analysis, navigate + -or. 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 "navigator", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

O'Connell#19,920prettiest#19,945purported#19,951removable#19,959

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

markedly13 variantslordship13 variantssignifies13 variantsdaredevil13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list