plaster

/ˈplɑː.stə/

//ˈplɑː.stə// noun

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

"plaster" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“plaster” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,384. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,384
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A paste applied to the skin for healing or cosmetic purposes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-plaster · plaster · English

plaster · rank #14,384 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,384
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH planner

Nearest frequency peer: planner (-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 “plaster”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “plaster” 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).

plaster vs plate
71% similar
plaster vs player
71% similar
plaster vs plates
71% similar

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

Key facts for plaster
PropertyValue
Headwordplaster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈplɑː.stə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,384
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “plaster”

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).plasterlands 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 “planner” (#14,383), “playful” (#14,385), “pleading” (#14,386). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “plaster” is #14,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around plaster (IPA /ˈplɑː.stə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,384 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for plaster, with forms such as "lpaster", "palster", and "plasetr". 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, "plate", "player", "plates", 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 plaster, plastre, from Old English plaster, from late Latin plastrum, shortened from Classical Latin emplastrum (“a plaster, bandage”); later reinforced by Anglo-Norman plastre. The verb is from Middle English plastren, from the noun. The correct English form is plaster, spelled P-L-A-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A paste applied to the skin for healing or cosmetic purposes.
  2. 2
    A small adhesive bandage to cover a minor wound; a sticking plaster.
  3. 3
    A mixture of lime or gypsum, sand, and water, sometimes with the addition of fibres, that hardens to a smooth solid and is used for coating walls and ceilings.
  4. 4
    A similar material used for exterior walls.
  5. 5
    A cast made of plaster of Paris and gauze; a plaster cast.
  6. 6
    Plaster of Paris.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Near-synonym: stucco (dedicated term for exterior type in some dialects)

Etymology

From Middle English plaster, plastre, from Old English plaster, from late Latin plastrum, shortened from Classical Latin emplastrum (“a plaster, bandage”); later reinforced by Anglo-Norman plastre. The verb is from Middle English plastren, from the noun.

This word in other languages

ungüento(Español)onguent(Français)Salbe(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpaster
  • palster
  • plasetr
  • plasster
  • plasterr
  • plastre
  • plastter
  • platser
  • pllaster
  • plsater
  • pplaster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpaster2palster2plasetr2plasster1plasterr1plastre2plastter1platser2
Edit distance from "plaster"

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 "plaster"?
"plaster" is spelled P-L-A-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈplɑː.stə/.
What does "plaster" mean?
As a noun, "plaster" means: A paste applied to the skin for healing or cosmetic purposes.
What words are commonly confused with "plaster"?
"plaster" is commonly confused with "plate", "player", "plates". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plaster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plaster" is /ˈplɑː.stə/. 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 "plaster"?
From Middle English plaster, plastre, from Old English plaster, from late Latin plastrum, shortened from Classical Latin emplastrum (“a plaster, bandage”); later reinforced by Anglo-Norman plastre. The verb is from Middle English plastren, from th... 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 "plaster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

planner#14,383playful#14,385persist#14,381omitted#14,374

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

overlook11 variantsmaneuver11 variantsmagician11 variantslurking11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list