receiver

Name: receiver, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɹəˈsi.vɚ/

//ɹəˈsi.vɚ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“receiver” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,172 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,172
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 11
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who receives.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

receiver vs recover

75% similar

receiver vs receives

88% similar

receiver vs recliner

75% similar

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

Key facts for receiver
Property	Value
Headword	receiver
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ɹəˈsi.vɚ/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#6,172
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “receiver” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). receiver lands here:

#6,172

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for receiver is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹəˈsi.vɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,172 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for receiver, with forms such as "erceiver", "rceeiver", and "recceiver". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "recover", "receives", "recliner", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English receyvour, from Anglo-Norman receverre, receivour et al., later also reformed as receive + -er. Compare recevor, rescaivour. The correct English form is receiver, spelled R-E-C-E-I-V-E-R.

Definition

1
A person who receives.
2
A person who receives.
3
A person who receives.
4
A person who receives.
5
A person who receives.
6
A person who receives.
7
An item or apparatus that receives.
8
An item or apparatus that receives.
9
An item or apparatus that receives.
10
An item or apparatus that receives.
11
An item or apparatus that receives.
12
An item or apparatus that receives.
13
An item or apparatus that receives.
14
An item or apparatus that receives.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English receyvour, from Anglo-Norman receverre, receivour et al., later also reformed as receive + -er. Compare recevor, rescaivour.

This word in other languages

destinatario(Español)destinataire(Français)Empfänger(Deutsch)receptor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erceiver,rceeiver,recceiver,receievr,receiverr,receivre,receivver,recevier,reciever,reeciver,rreceiver

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "receiver"

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 "receiver"?

"receiver" is spelled R-E-C-E-I-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈsi.vɚ/.

What does "receiver" mean?

As a noun, "receiver" means: A person who receives.

What words are commonly confused with "receiver"?

"receiver" is commonly confused with "recover", "receives", "recliner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "receiver"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "receiver" is /ɹəˈsi.vɚ/. 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 "receiver"?

Inherited from Middle English receyvour, from Anglo-Norman receverre, receivour et al., later also reformed as receive + -er. Compare recevor, rescaivour. 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.

Using “receiver”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-E-I-V-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɹəˈsi.vɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “recover” - see the side-by-side comparison. receiver vs recover
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.