resident

/ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/

//ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“resident” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,782. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,782
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.

Corpus desk

Index EN-resident · resident · English

resident · rank #3,782 · 12 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,782
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH regulation

Nearest frequency peer: regulation (-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 “resident”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “resident” 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).

resident vs reticent
75% similar
resident vs residents
89% similar
resident vs resilient
78% similar

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

Key facts for resident
PropertyValue
Headwordresident
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,782
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “resident”

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).residentlands 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 “regulation” (#3,781), “rocks” (#3,783), “rapid” (#3,780). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “resident” is #3,782. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around resident (IPA /ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,782 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for resident, with forms such as "ersident", "reisdent", and "resdient". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "reticent", "residents", "resilient", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English resident, from Anglo-Norman resident, from Latin residēns, present participle of resideō (“to remain behind, reside, dwell”), equivalent to reside + -ent, from re- (“back”) + sedeō (“to sit”). Doublet of resiant and rezident. The espiona… The correct English form is resident, spelled R-E-S-I-D-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
  2. 2
    A bird which does not migrate during the course of the year.
  3. 3
    A physician receiving postgraduate medical training in a hospital or clinic.
  4. 4
    A diplomatic representative who resides in a foreign country, usually of inferior rank to an ambassador.
  5. 5
    A legal permanent resident, someone who maintains residency.
  6. 6
    Alternative form of rezident.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The tiger is a resident of the Lower Amoor, and ranges as high as 53° north latitude. In winter he roams through the same forests with the reindeer, and occasionally dines upon venison of his own catching.
  2. Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.

Etymology

From Middle English resident, from Anglo-Norman resident, from Latin residēns, present participle of resideō (“to remain behind, reside, dwell”), equivalent to reside + -ent, from re- (“back”) + sedeō (“to sit”). Doublet of resiant and rezident. The espionage sense is a semantic loan from Russian резиде́нт (rezidént). (physician): So called because in the 19th century they resided in the hospital dormitories.

This word in other languages

residente(Español)résident(Français)Anwohner(Deutsch)morador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ersident
  • reisdent
  • resdient
  • residdent
  • residennt
  • residentt
  • residetn
  • residnet
  • resiednt
  • ressident
  • rresident
  • rseident

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ersident2reisdent2resdient2residdent1residennt1residentt1residetn2residnet2
Edit distance from "resident"

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 "resident"?
"resident" is spelled R-E-S-I-D-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/.
What does "resident" mean?
As a noun, "resident" means: A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
What words are commonly confused with "resident"?
"resident" is commonly confused with "reticent", "residents", "resilient". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "resident"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "resident" is /ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/. 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 "resident"?
From Middle English resident, from Anglo-Norman resident, from Latin residēns, present participle of resideō (“to remain behind, reside, dwell”), equivalent to reside + -ent, from re- (“back”) + sedeō (“to sit”). Doublet of resiant and rezident. T... 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 "resident", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

subjects#3,788suitable#3,790occasion#3,771commerce#3,803

Similar misspelling depth

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

possession12 variantspassenger12 variantsrejected12 variantssciences12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list