Samaritan

/səˈmæɹɪtən/

//səˈmæɹɪtən// noun

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

"samaritan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Samaritan” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,981. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,981
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising certain ethnoreligious traditions indigenous to that region.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Samaritan vs Samaria
78% similar

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

Key facts for Samaritan
PropertyValue
HeadwordSamaritan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈmæɹɪtən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#23,981
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Samaritan” 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). Samaritan lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around Samaritan (IPA /səˈmæɹɪtən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,981 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Samaritan, with forms such as "asmaritan", "saamritan", and "samairtan". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Samaria", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Samarītānus, from Ancient Greek Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs), from Σαμαρεία (Samareía, “Samaria”), derived from Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹנִים (Šōmərôním) and שֹׁמְרוֹן (Šōmərôn) respectively. Attested in Old English. The correct English form is Samaritan, spelled S-A-M-A-R-I-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising certain ethnoreligious traditions indigenous to that region.
  2. 2
    A charitable person, one who helps others (from the Bible story in Luke 10:30–37).
  3. 3
    A person who works for the Samaritans telephone helpline, taking calls from suicidal members of the public.

Etymology

From Latin Samarītānus, from Ancient Greek Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs), from Σαμαρεία (Samareía, “Samaria”), derived from Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹנִים (Šōmərôním) and שֹׁמְרוֹן (Šōmərôn) respectively. Attested in Old English.

This word in other languages

Samaritain(Français)Samariter(Deutsch)samaritano(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asmaritan,saamritan,samairtan,samariatn,samaritann,samaritna,samarittan,samarritan,samartian,sammaritan,samraitan,smaaritan,ssamaritan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asmaritan2saamritan2samairtan2samariatn2samaritann1samaritna2samarittan1samarritan1
Edit distance from "Samaritan"

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 "Samaritan"?
"Samaritan" is spelled S-A-M-A-R-I-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈmæɹɪtən/.
What does "Samaritan" mean?
As a noun, "Samaritan" means: A native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising certain ethnoreligious traditions indigenous to that region.
What words are commonly confused with "Samaritan"?
"Samaritan" is commonly confused with "Samaria". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Samaritan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Samaritan" is /səˈmæɹɪtən/. 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 "Samaritan"?
From Latin Samarītānus, from Ancient Greek Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs), from Σαμαρεία (Samareía, “Samaria”), derived from Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹנִים (Šōmərôním) and שֹׁמְרוֹן (Šōmərôn) respectively. Attested in Old English. 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 “Samaritan”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-M-A-R-I-T-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səˈmæɹɪtən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Samaria” - see the side-by-side comparison. Samaritan vs Samaria
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list