picker
/ˈpɪkə(ɹ)/
"picker" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“picker” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,420 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #29,420
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Agent noun of pick; one who picks.
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 | picker |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɪkə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #29,420 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “picker” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for picker is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɪkə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,420 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 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 picker, with forms such as "ipcker", "pciker", and "piccker". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pier", "pike", "picks", 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 pikere, pykare, equivalent to pick + -er. The correct English form is picker, spelled P-I-C-K-E-R.
Definition
- 1Agent noun of pick; one who picks.
- 2Agent noun of pick; one who picks.
- 3Any user interface control that selects something.
- 4A machine for picking fibrous materials to pieces so as to loosen and separate the fibre.
- 5The piece in a loom that strikes the end of the shuttle and impels it through the warp.
- 6A priming wire for cleaning the vent, in ordnance.
- 7A fragment of gold smaller than a nugget but large enough to be picked up.
- 8One who removes defects from and finishes electrotype plates.
- 9A pilferer.
Etymology
From Middle English pikere, pykare, equivalent to pick + -er.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ipcker,pciker,piccker,picekr,pickerr,pickker,pickre,pikcer,ppicker
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of picker - 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
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Using “picker”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-I-C-K-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɪkə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “pier” - see the side-by-side comparison. picker vs pier
- 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.