sample

/ˈsɑːm.pəl/

//ˈsɑːm.pəl// noun

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

"sample" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sample” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,859. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,859
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A part or snippet of something taken or presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sample · sample · English

sample · rank #2,859 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,859
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH retirement

Nearest frequency peer: retirement (-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 “sample”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sample” 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).

sample vs smile
67% similar
sample vs simple
83% similar
sample vs simply
67% similar

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

Key facts for sample
PropertyValue
Headwordsample
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɑːm.pəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,859
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sample”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).samplelands 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 “retirement” (#2,858), “seats” (#2,860), “respond” (#2,857). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sample” is #2,859. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around sample (IPA /ˈsɑːm.pəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,859 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sample, with forms such as "asmple", "samlpe", and "sammple". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "smile", "simple", "simply", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English saumple, sample, from Old French essample (“example”), from Latin exemplum. Doublet of example and exemplum. The correct English form is sample, spelled S-A-M-P-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A part or snippet of something taken or presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen.
  2. 2
    A subset or portion of a population that is systematically selected for measurement, observation, or questioning, with the objective of generating statistical information that accurately reflects the characteristics of the entire population.
  3. 3
    A small quantity of food for tasting, typically given away for free.
  4. 4
    A small piece of some goods, for determining quality, colour, etc., typically given away for free.
  5. 5
    A borrowing of easily recognised phases (or moments) from other music (or movies) in a recording.
  6. 6
    Example; pattern.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a blood sample
  2. He looked down into Glen Doone first, and sniffed as if he were smelling it, like a sample of goods from a wholesale house; and then he looked at the hills over yonder, and then he stared at me.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English saumple, sample, from Old French essample (“example”), from Latin exemplum. Doublet of example and exemplum.

Synonyms

examplespecimen

This word in other languages

muestra(Español)échantillon(Français)Probe(Deutsch)amostra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asmple
  • samlpe
  • sammple
  • sampel
  • samplle
  • sampple
  • sapmle
  • smaple
  • ssample

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sample - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

asmple2samlpe2sammple1sampel2samplle1sampple1sapmle2smaple2
Edit distance from "sample"

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 "sample"?
"sample" is spelled S-A-M-P-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɑːm.pəl/.
What does "sample" mean?
As a noun, "sample" means: A part or snippet of something taken or presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen.
What words are commonly confused with "sample"?
"sample" is commonly confused with "smile", "simple", "simply". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sample"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sample" is /ˈsɑːm.pəl/. 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 "sample"?
Inherited from Middle English saumple, sample, from Old French essample (“example”), from Latin exemplum. Doublet of example and exemplum. 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 "sample", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reform#2,854stayed#2,864Sydney#2,866pounds#2,849

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Wilson9 variantsbattery9 variantsletting9 variantsbreath9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list