resistor
/ɹɪˈzɪstə/
"resistor" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“resistor” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,694 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,694
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who resists, especially a person who fights against an occupying army.
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 | resistor |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈzɪstə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #28,694 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “resistor” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for resistor is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈzɪstə/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,694 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for resistor, with forms such as "ersistor", "reisstor", and "resisotr". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "resist", "register", "resisted", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From resist + -or. The correct English form is resistor, spelled R-E-S-I-S-T-O-R.
Definition
- 1One who resists, especially a person who fights against an occupying army.
- 2An electric component that transmits current in direct proportion to the voltage across it.
Etymology
From resist + -or.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ersistor,reisstor,resisotr,resisstor,resistorr,resistro,resisttor,resitsor,ressistor,ressitor,rresistor,rseistor
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of resistor - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 “resistor”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-I-S-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈzɪstə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “resist” - see the side-by-side comparison. resistor vs resist
- 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.