satellite

/ˈsætəlaɪt/

//ˈsætəlaɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“satellite” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,120 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,120
frequency rank, English
9
letters
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one.

Key facts for satellite
PropertyValue
Headwordsatellite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsætəlaɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,120
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “satellite” 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). satellite lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for satellite is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsætəlaɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,120 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for satellite, with forms such as "astellite", "saetllite", and "satelilte". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French satellite, from Latin satelles (“attendant”). Ultimately perhaps of Etruscan origin. The correct English form is satellite, spelled S-A-T-E-L-L-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one.
  2. 2
    A man-made apparatus designed to be placed in orbit around a celestial body, generally to relay information, data etc. to Earth.
  3. 3
    A country, state, office, building etc. which is under the jurisdiction, influence, or domination of another body.
  4. 4
    An attendant on an important person; a member of someone's retinue, often in a somewhat derogatory sense; a henchman.
  5. 5
    Satellite TV; reception of television broadcasts via services that use man-made satellite technology.
  6. 6
    A grammatical construct that takes various forms and may encode a path of movement, a change of state, or the grammatical aspect. Examples: "a bird flew past"; "she turned on the light".
  7. 7
    A very large array of tandemly repeating, non-coding DNA.
  8. 8
    A community or town dependent on a larger town or city nearby.

Etymology

From Middle French satellite, from Latin satelles (“attendant”). Ultimately perhaps of Etruscan origin.

Synonyms

sat

This word in other languages

satélite(Español)satellite(Français)Begleiter(Deutsch)satélite(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: astellite,saetllite,satelilte,satelite,satelliet,satellitte,satelltie,satlelite,sattellite,ssatellite,staellite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

astellite2saetllite2satelilte2satelite1satelliet2satellitte1satelltie2satlelite2
Edit distance from "satellite"

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 "satellite"?
"satellite" is spelled S-A-T-E-L-L-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsætəlaɪt/.
What does "satellite" mean?
As a noun, "satellite" means: A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one.
What are common misspellings of "satellite"?
Common misspellings include "astellite", "saetllite", "satelilte", "satelite", "satelliet". The correct spelling is "satellite".
How do you pronounce "satellite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "satellite" is /ˈsætəlaɪt/. 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 "satellite"?
From Middle French satellite, from Latin satelles (“attendant”). Ultimately perhaps of Etruscan origin. 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 “satellite”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-T-E-L-L-I-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsætəlaɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

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