Pasteur

name

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

The verdict

“Pasteur” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,146 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#37,146
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname from French.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Pasteur vs poster
57% similar
Pasteur vs pastor
57% similar
Pasteur vs patter
57% similar

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

Key facts for Pasteur
PropertyValue
HeadwordPasteur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters7
Frequency rank#37,146
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Pasteur” sits in English frequency

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

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Pasteur is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun. Corpus data places it at rank #37,146 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 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 Pasteur, with forms such as "apsteur", "pasetur", and "passteur". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "poster", "pastor", "patter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: French pasteur, "shepherd". Doublet of Pastore. The correct English form is Pasteur, spelled P-A-S-T-E-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from French.
  2. 2
    Louis Pasteur, a French biologist of the nineteenth century.

Etymology

French pasteur, "shepherd". Doublet of Pastore.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apsteur,pasetur,passteur,pasteru,pasteurr,pastteur,patseur,ppasteur,psateur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

apsteur2pasetur2passteur1pasteru2pasteurr1pastteur1patseur2ppasteur1
Edit distance from "Pasteur"

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 "Pasteur"?
"Pasteur" is spelled P-A-S-T-E-U-R.
What does "Pasteur" mean?
As a proper noun, "Pasteur" means: A surname from French.
What words are commonly confused with "Pasteur"?
"Pasteur" is commonly confused with "poster", "pastor", "patter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "Pasteur"?
French pasteur, "shepherd". Doublet of Pastore. 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.

Using “Pasteur”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-S-T-E-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “poster” - see the side-by-side comparison. Pasteur vs poster
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list