placeholder

/ˈpleɪsˌhoʊldɚ/

//ˈpleɪsˌhoʊldɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“placeholder” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,285. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,285
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something used or included temporarily or as a substitute for something that is not known or must remain generic; that which holds, denotes or reserves a place for something to come later.

Corpus desk

Index EN-placeholder · placeholder · English

placeholder · rank #36,285 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,285
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pilar

Nearest frequency peer: pilar (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “placeholder”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “placeholder” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for placeholder
PropertyValue
Headwordplaceholder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpleɪsˌhoʊldɚ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#36,285
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “placeholder” sits in English frequency

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).placeholderlands 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 “pilar” (#36,284), “piglet” (#36,283), “playmate” (#36,287). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around placeholder (IPA /ˈpleɪsˌhoʊldɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,285 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for placeholder, with forms such as "lpaceholder", "palceholder", and "placceholder". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From place + holder. The correct English form is placeholder, spelled P-L-A-C-E-H-O-L-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something used or included temporarily or as a substitute for something that is not known or must remain generic; that which holds, denotes or reserves a place for something to come later.
  2. 2
    A non-editable caption initially displayed in a blank text box to indicate its function.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This data is a placeholder, so you'll want to include the real numbers as soon as you have them.
  2. As the years go by, speech reverts to childhood levels of disfluency, with more pauses, more errors, more repeated words, but even the peak years are not great: up to 8 percent of the average person’s word output consists of meaningless fillers and placeholders like um, uh and er.

Etymology

From place + holder.

Synonyms

thingywhatshisname

This word in other languages

marcador(Español)marque substitutive(Français)Platzhalter(Deutsch)calhau(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpaceholder
  • palceholder
  • placceholder
  • placehholder
  • placehloder
  • placehodler
  • placeholdder
  • placeholderr
  • placeholdre
  • placeholedr
  • placehollder
  • placeohlder
  • placheolder
  • plaecholder
  • plcaeholder
  • pllaceholder
  • pplaceholder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpaceholder2palceholder2placceholder1placehholder1placehloder2placehodler2placeholdder1placeholderr1
Edit distance from "placeholder"

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 "placeholder"?
"placeholder" is spelled P-L-A-C-E-H-O-L-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpleɪsˌhoʊldɚ/.
What does "placeholder" mean?
As a noun, "placeholder" means: Something used or included temporarily or as a substitute for something that is not known or must remain generic; that which holds, denotes or reserves a place for something to come later.
What are common misspellings of "placeholder"?
Common misspellings include "lpaceholder", "palceholder", "placceholder", "placehholder", "placehloder". The correct spelling is "placeholder".
How do you pronounce "placeholder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "placeholder" is /ˈpleɪsˌhoʊldɚ/. 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 "placeholder"?
From place + holder. 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 "placeholder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

presumptive#36,297proactively#36,298reinsurance#36,312Susquehanna#36,361

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

fibrillation17 variantsAustralasian17 variantsBasingstoke17 variantsdecommissioned17 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "placeholder". Here's where to go from here.

  • 17 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #36,285 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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