outlier

/ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/

//ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)// noun

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

"outlier" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“outlier” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,621. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,621
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person or thing situated away from the main body or outside its proper place.

Corpus desk

Index EN-outlier · outlier · English

outlier · rank #34,621 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,621
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH outboard

Nearest frequency peer: outboard (-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 “outlier”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “outlier” 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).

outlier vs outline
71% similar
outlier vs outlive
71% similar
outlier vs outsider
75% similar

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

Key facts for outlier
PropertyValue
Headwordoutlier
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#34,621
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “outlier”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).outlierlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “outboard” (#34,620), “OLED” (#34,617), “paltry” (#34,625). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “outlier” is #34,621. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around outlier (IPA /ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,621 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for outlier, with forms such as "otulier", "oultier", and "outiler". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "outline", "outlive", "outsider", 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 outlie + -er. The correct English form is outlier, spelled O-U-T-L-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person or thing situated away from the main body or outside its proper place.
  2. 2
    An exception.
  3. 3
    A part of a formation separated from the rest of the formation by erosion.
  4. 4
    A value in a statistical sample which does not fit a pattern that describes most other data points; specifically, a value that lies 1.5 IQR beyond the upper or lower quartile.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Observing as an outlier from Scotland, Hynes sums up the industry problem: "The conversation we've had for this article is really about creating an environment in which better decisions can be taken, isn't it?
  2. And in a world where police officers are mostly paired by species (zebras with zebras, hippos with hippos, etc.), Judy and Nick’s rare bunny/fox combo marks them as outliers.

Etymology

From outlie + -er.

Antonyms

inlier

This word in other languages

anomalía(Español)exception(Français)Ausreißer(Deutsch)extravagante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otulier
  • oultier
  • outiler
  • outleir
  • outlierr
  • outlire
  • outllier
  • outtlier
  • uotlier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

otulier2oultier2outiler2outleir2outlierr1outlire2outllier1outtlier1
Edit distance from "outlier"

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 "outlier"?
"outlier" is spelled O-U-T-L-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/.
What does "outlier" mean?
As a noun, "outlier" means: A person or thing situated away from the main body or outside its proper place.
What words are commonly confused with "outlier"?
"outlier" is commonly confused with "outline", "outlive", "outsider". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "outlier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "outlier" is /ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(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 "outlier"?
From outlie + -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 "outlier", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

parsing#34,628notepad#34,611mustn't#34,605Plummer#34,639

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

placer9 variantsmildew9 variantsQantas9 variantsMerced9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list