otter

/ˈɒt.ə/

//ˈɒt.ə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“otter” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,917. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,917
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-otter · otter · English

otter · rank #17,917 · 5 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,917
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH originate

Nearest frequency peer: originate (-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 “otter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “otter” 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).

otter vs over
60% similar
otter vs otto
60% similar
otter vs owner
60% similar

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

Key facts for otter
PropertyValue
Headwordotter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒt.ə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,917
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “otter”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).otterlands 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 “originate” (#17,916), “parting” (#17,918), “ordnance” (#17,915). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “otter” is #17,917. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around otter (IPA /ˈɒt.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,917 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for otter, with forms such as "oter", "otetr", and "otterr". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "over", "otto", "owner", 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 oter, otir, otur, otyre, from Old English otor, from Proto-West Germanic *otr, from Proto-Germanic *utraz, from Proto-Indo-European *udrós (“aquatic, water-animal”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”). Cognate with Saterland Frisia… The correct English form is otter, spelled O-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae.
  2. 2
    An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae.
  3. 3
    A hairy man with a slender physique, in contrast with a bear, who is more thickset.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 'The Aleuts come from a country far to the north,' he said. 'Their ways are not ours nor is their language. They have come to take otter and to give us our share in many goods which they have and which we can use.

Etymology

From Middle English oter, otir, otur, otyre, from Old English otor, from Proto-West Germanic *otr, from Proto-Germanic *utraz, from Proto-Indo-European *udrós (“aquatic, water-animal”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Otter, Dutch otter, German Otter, Swedish utter, Norwegian oter, Icelandic otur, Sanskrit उद्र (udrá), Russian вы́дра (výdra), and Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra, “water snake”). Doublet of Hydra and hydra. More etymology under English water.

This word in other languages

nutria(Español)loutre(Français)Otter(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oter
  • otetr
  • otterr
  • ottre
  • toter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oter1otetr2otterr1ottre2toter2
Edit distance from "otter"

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 "otter"?
"otter" is spelled O-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒt.ə/.
What does "otter" mean?
As a noun, "otter" means: An aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae.
What words are commonly confused with "otter"?
"otter" is commonly confused with "over", "otto", "owner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "otter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "otter" is /ˈɒt.ə/. 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 "otter"?
From Middle English oter, otir, otur, otyre, from Old English otor, from Proto-West Germanic *otr, from Proto-Germanic *utraz, from Proto-Indo-European *udrós (“aquatic, water-animal”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”). Cognate with Saterl... 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 "otter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Plato#17,922racks#17,930relic#17,935McGee#17,897

Similar misspelling depth

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

Igor5 variantsweep5 variantswoes5 variantsfins5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list