radar
/ˈɹeɪdɑː/
"radar" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“radar” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,160 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #5,160
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In full primary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing radio waves (usually microwaves) which are sent towards t...
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | radar |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹeɪdɑː/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #5,160 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “radar” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for radar is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹeɪdɑː/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,160 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 radar, with forms such as "ardar", "raadr", and "radarr". 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, "rear", "roar", "raja", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from RADAR by anacronymic evolution. RADAR is an acronym of ra(dio) d(etection) a(nd) r(anging) which was coined by Lieutenant-Commander Samuel M. Tucker and Lieutenant-Commander F. R. Furth of the United States Navy in November 1940. Th… The correct English form is radar, spelled R-A-D-A-R.
Definition
- 1In full primary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing radio waves (usually microwaves) which are sent towards the object and which reflect off its surfaces; also, the field of study of this method.
- 2In full primary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing radio waves (usually microwaves) which are sent towards the object and which reflect off its surfaces; also, the field of study of this method.
- 3In full primary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing radio waves (usually microwaves) which are sent towards the object and which reflect off its surfaces; also, the field of study of this method.
- 4In full primary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing radio waves (usually microwaves) which are sent towards the object and which reflect off its surfaces; also, the field of study of this method.
- 5Often preceded by a descriptive word: a natural (for example, in an animal such as a bat) or human-made detection method based on the analysis of reflected signals other than radio waves, as light waves or sound waves; (countable) an instance of this.
- 6A superior ability to detect something; an awareness, an intuition.
Etymology
The noun is derived from RADAR by anacronymic evolution. RADAR is an acronym of ra(dio) d(etection) a(nd) r(anging) which was coined by Lieutenant-Commander Samuel M. Tucker and Lieutenant-Commander F. R. Furth of the United States Navy in November 1940. The verb is probably derived from the noun.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ardar,raadr,radarr,raddar,radra,rdaar,rradar
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of radar - 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.
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
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Using “radar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-A-D-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹeɪdɑː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “rear” - see the side-by-side comparison. radar vs rear
- 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.