pilot

/ˈpaɪ.lət/

//ˈpaɪ.lət// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"pilot" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pilot” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,904 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,904
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who steers a ship, a helmsman.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pilot vs pot
60% similar
pilot vs pit
60% similar
pilot vs plot
80% similar

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

Key facts for pilot
PropertyValue
Headwordpilot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpaɪ.lət/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,904
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pilot” 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). pilot 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 pilot is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpaɪ.lət/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,904 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for pilot, with forms such as "iplot", "pillot", and "pilott". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pot", "pit", "plot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French pilot, pillot, from Italian pilota, piloto, older also pedotta, pedot(t)o (the form in pil- is probably influenced by pileggiare (“to sail, navigate”)); ultimately from unattested Byzantine Greek *πηδώτης (*pēdṓtēs, “helmsman”), from Anci… The correct English form is pilot, spelled P-I-L-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who steers a ship, a helmsman.
  2. 2
    A person who knows well the depths, shoals, and currents of a harbor or coastal area, who is hired by a vessel to help navigate the harbor or coast.
  3. 3
    A guide book for maritime navigation.
  4. 4
    An instrument for detecting the compass error.
  5. 5
    A pilot vehicle.
  6. 6
    A person authorised to drive such a vehicle during an escort.
  7. 7
    A guide or escort through an unknown or dangerous area.
  8. 8
    Something serving as a test or trial.
  9. 9
    Something serving as a test or trial.
  10. 10
    A tone or signal, usually a single frequency, transmitted over a communications system for control or synchronization purposes.
  11. 11
    A person who is in charge of the controls of an aircraft.
  12. 12
    A sample episode of a proposed TV series produced to decide if it should be made or not. If approved, typically the first episode of an actual TV series.
  13. 13
    A cowcatcher.
  14. 14
    A racing driver.
  15. 15
    A pilot light.
  16. 16
    One who flies a kite.
  17. 17
    A short plug, sometimes made interchangeable, at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool.

Etymology

From Middle French pilot, pillot, from Italian pilota, piloto, older also pedotta, pedot(t)o (the form in pil- is probably influenced by pileggiare (“to sail, navigate”)); ultimately from unattested Byzantine Greek *πηδώτης (*pēdṓtēs, “helmsman”), from Ancient Greek πηδόν (pēdón, “blade of an oar, oar”), hence also Ancient and Modern Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder”).

This word in other languages

piloto(Español)pilote(Français)Pilot(Deutsch)piloto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iplot,pillot,pilott,pilto,piolt,pliot,ppilot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iplot2pillot1pilott1pilto2piolt2pliot2ppilot1
Edit distance from "pilot"

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 "pilot"?
"pilot" is spelled P-I-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpaɪ.lət/.
What does "pilot" mean?
As a noun, "pilot" means: A person who steers a ship, a helmsman.
What words are commonly confused with "pilot"?
"pilot" is commonly confused with "pot", "pit", "plot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pilot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pilot" is /ˈpaɪ.lət/. 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 "pilot"?
From Middle French pilot, pillot, from Italian pilota, piloto, older also pedotta, pedot(t)o (the form in pil- is probably influenced by pileggiare (“to sail, navigate”)); ultimately from unattested Byzantine Greek *πηδώτης (*pēdṓtēs, “helmsman”),... 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 “pilot”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-I-L-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpaɪ.lət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pot” - see the side-by-side comparison. pilot vs pot
  • 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