outlier
/ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/
"outlier" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“outlier” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,621 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #34,621
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or thing situated away from the main body or outside its proper place.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | outlier |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #34,621 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “outlier” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for outlier is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,621 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A person or thing situated away from the main body or outside its proper place.
- 2An exception.
- 3A part of a formation separated from the rest of the formation by erosion.
- 4A 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.
Etymology
From outlie + -er.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
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Using “outlier”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-U-T-L-I-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈaʊtˌlaɪə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “outline” - see the side-by-side comparison. outlier vs outline
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.