philanderer

/fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ/

//fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ// noun

"philanderer" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“philanderer” is an uncommon English word, ranked #94,117 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#94,117
frequency rank, English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who plays at courtship; a fickle lover; a flirt (usually applies only to men).

Key facts for philanderer
PropertyValue
Headwordphilanderer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#94,117
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “philanderer” 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). philanderer 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 philanderer is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #94,117 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.

Zero misspellings are on record for philanderer in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From philander (“lover”) + -er, from Ancient Greek φίλανδρος (phílandros), from φίλος (phílos, “love”) + ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”). The correct English form is philanderer, spelled P-H-I-L-A-N-D-E-R-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who plays at courtship; a fickle lover; a flirt (usually applies only to men).
  2. 2
    Someone who engages in casual sex, usually frequently.

Etymology

From philander (“lover”) + -er, from Ancient Greek φίλανδρος (phílandros), from φίλος (phílos, “love”) + ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”).

This word in other languages

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 "philanderer"?
"philanderer" is spelled P-H-I-L-A-N-D-E-R-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ/.
What does "philanderer" mean?
As a noun, "philanderer" means: One who plays at courtship; a fickle lover; a flirt (usually applies only to men).
How do you pronounce "philanderer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "philanderer" is /fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ/. 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 "philanderer"?
From philander (“lover”) + -er, from Ancient Greek φίλανδρος (phílandros), from φίλος (phílos, “love”) + ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”). 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 “philanderer”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-H-I-L-A-N-D-E-R-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɪˈlæn.də.ɹɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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