pixel

/ˈpɪk.səl/

//ˈpɪk.səl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“pixel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,909. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,909
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pixel · pixel · English

pixel · rank #10,909 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,909
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pits

Nearest frequency peer: pits (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pixel”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pixel” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pixel vs pixie
60% similar
pixel vs pie
60% similar
pixel vs Pil
40% similar

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

Key facts for pixel
PropertyValue
Headwordpixel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪk.səl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,909
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pixel”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pixellands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “pits” (#10,908), “plantation” (#10,910), “presently” (#10,911). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pixel” is #10,909. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around pixel (IPA /ˈpɪk.səl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,909 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for pixel, with forms such as "ipxel", "piexl", and "pixell". 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, "pixie", "pie", "Pil", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: pix (“pictures”), + el(ement); often taken to be a blend of “picture” and “element”. The ⟨x⟩ stems from the abbreviation pics being sometimes also written as pix, which has been in use since the 1880s. First attested in 1965. The correct English form is pixel, spelled P-I-X-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.
  2. 2
    One of the squares that make up a work of pixel art or a zoomed-in image in a computer.
  3. 3
    A unit of measure used in screen displays, resolutions, and similar visual media that represents either linear measure or area.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how pixel appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. We have chosen to sample at a 500 KC rate and we define each one of these samples as a picture element or pixel. We have sampled each pixel with 6-bit accuracy which is commensurate with the signal/noise ratio and the data accuracy.
  2. In the tomographic images of the 30-day-old cheeses, the gantry had to be removed with image processing techniques: first, the binarised image (grey level larger than 10⁴) was eroded with a disk of three pixels.

Etymology

pix (“pictures”), + el(ement); often taken to be a blend of “picture” and “element”. The ⟨x⟩ stems from the abbreviation pics being sometimes also written as pix, which has been in use since the 1880s. First attested in 1965.

Synonyms

pelpictelpx

This word in other languages

píxel(Español)pixel(Français)Pixel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ipxel
  • piexl
  • pixell
  • pixle
  • pixxel
  • ppixel
  • pxiel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ipxel2piexl2pixell1pixle2pixxel1ppixel1pxiel2
Edit distance from "pixel"

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 "pixel"?
"pixel" is spelled P-I-X-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪk.səl/.
What does "pixel" mean?
As a noun, "pixel" means: One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.
What words are commonly confused with "pixel"?
"pixel" is commonly confused with "pixie", "pie", "Pil". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pixel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pixel" is /ˈpɪk.səl/. 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 "pixel"?
pix (“pictures”), + el(ement); often taken to be a blend of “picture” and “element”. The ⟨x⟩ stems from the abbreviation pics being sometimes also written as pix, which has been in use since the 1880s. First attested in 1965. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pixel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

props#10,912prose#10,913onset#10,900razor#10,919

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

steer7 variantsDamon7 variantsbadass7 variantsbarred7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list