playmate

/ˈpleɪˌmeɪt/

//ˈpleɪˌmeɪt// noun

"playmate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“playmate” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,287. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,287
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A companion for someone (especially a child) to play with.

Corpus desk

Index EN-playmate · playmate · English

playmate · rank #36,287 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,287
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pliny

Nearest frequency peer: Pliny (+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 “playmate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “playmate” 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).

playmate vs placate
75% similar
playmate vs playmaker
78% similar

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

Key facts for playmate
PropertyValue
Headwordplaymate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpleɪˌmeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,287
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “playmate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).playmatelands 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 “Pliny” (#36,288), “placeholder” (#36,285), “PNC” (#36,289). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “playmate” is #36,287. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around playmate (IPA /ˈpleɪˌmeɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,287 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for playmate, with forms such as "lpaymate", "palymate", and "plamyate". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "placate", "playmaker", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From play + mate. Compare earlier playfeer (“playmate”) of similar construction. The correct English form is playmate, spelled P-L-A-Y-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A companion for someone (especially a child) to play with.
  2. 2
    A person's lover.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.

Etymology

From play + mate. Compare earlier playfeer (“playmate”) of similar construction.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpaymate
  • palymate
  • plamyate
  • playamte
  • playmaet
  • playmatte
  • playmmate
  • playmtae
  • playymate
  • pllaymate
  • plyamate
  • pplaymate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of playmate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

lpaymate2palymate2plamyate2playamte2playmaet2playmatte1playmmate1playmtae2
Edit distance from "playmate"

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 "playmate"?
"playmate" is spelled P-L-A-Y-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpleɪˌmeɪt/.
What does "playmate" mean?
As a noun, "playmate" means: A companion for someone (especially a child) to play with.
What words are commonly confused with "playmate"?
"playmate" is commonly confused with "placate", "playmaker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "playmate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "playmate" is /ˈpleɪˌmeɪt/. 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 "playmate"?
From play + mate. Compare earlier playfeer (“playmate”) of similar construction. 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 "playmate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list