receptionist

/ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃə.nɪst/

//ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃə.nɪst// noun

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

"receptionist" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“receptionist” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,749. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,749
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An employee (such as a secretary) who works in reception (receiving visitors and/or calls) for a person or business, especially an office.

Corpus desk

Index EN-receptionist · receptionist · English

receptionist · rank #20,749 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,749
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH realist

Nearest frequency peer: realist (-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 “receptionist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “receptionist” 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
Key facts for receptionist
PropertyValue
Headwordreceptionist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃə.nɪst/
Letters12
Frequency rank#20,749
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “receptionist”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “realist” (#20,748), “reckoned” (#20,750), “railing” (#20,747). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “receptionist” is #20,749. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around receptionist (IPA /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃə.nɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,749 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for receptionist, with forms such as "erceptionist", "rceeptionist", and "recceptionist". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1901, derived from reception + -ist. The correct English form is receptionist, spelled R-E-C-E-P-T-I-O-N-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An employee (such as a secretary) who works in reception (receiving visitors and/or calls) for a person or business, especially an office.
  2. 2
    A proponent of receptionism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. "At the moment, I think I'm working for the Central Intelligence Corporation, the Mafia, and Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong." "I see," the receptionist, making a note.

Etymology

Recorded since 1901, derived from reception + -ist.

This word in other languages

recepcionista(Español)réceptionniste(Français)Empfangsdame(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erceptionist
  • rceeptionist
  • recceptionist
  • recepitonist
  • recepptionist
  • receptinoist
  • receptioinst
  • receptionisst
  • receptionistt
  • receptionits
  • receptionnist
  • receptionsit
  • receptoinist
  • recepttionist
  • recetpionist
  • recpetionist
  • reecptionist
  • rreceptionist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erceptionist2rceeptionist2recceptionist1recepitonist2recepptionist1receptinoist2receptioinst2receptionisst1
Edit distance from "receptionist"

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 "receptionist"?
"receptionist" is spelled R-E-C-E-P-T-I-O-N-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃə.nɪst/.
What does "receptionist" mean?
As a noun, "receptionist" means: An employee (such as a secretary) who works in reception (receiving visitors and/or calls) for a person or business, especially an office.
What are common misspellings of "receptionist"?
Common misspellings include "erceptionist", "rceeptionist", "recceptionist", "recepitonist", "recepptionist". The correct spelling is "receptionist".
How do you pronounce "receptionist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "receptionist" is /ɹɪˈsɛp.ʃə.nɪst/. 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 "receptionist"?
Recorded since 1901, derived from reception + -ist. 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 "receptionist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

remuneration#20,754polarization#20,737mysteriously#20,714hierarchical#20,664

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

attractiveness18 variantsdissemination18 variantsconcurrently18 variantsFitzpatrick18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list