pilferer

Name: pilferer, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈpɪlfəɹə(ɹ)/

//ˈpɪlfəɹə(ɹ)// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“pilferer” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English: 8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who pilfers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pilferer · pilferer · English

pilferer · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-0 0 variants
BOOK-THIN "P" thin
PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for pilferer
Property	Value
Headword	pilferer
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈpɪlfəɹə(ɹ)/
Letters	8
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pilferer” in English

pilfererfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pilferer is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɪlfəɹə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "One who pilfers.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for pilferer, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pilfer + -er. The correct English form is pilferer, spelled P-I-L-F-E-R-E-R.

Definition

1
One who pilfers.

Etymology

From pilfer + -er.

This word in other languages

chapardeur(Français)Langfinger(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pilferer"?

"pilferer" is spelled P-I-L-F-E-R-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪlfəɹə(ɹ)/.

What does "pilferer" mean?

As a noun, "pilferer" means: One who pilfers.

How do you pronounce "pilferer"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pilferer" is /ˈpɪlfəɹə(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 "pilferer"?

From pilfer + -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.