satire

/ˈsætaɪɹ/

//ˈsætaɪɹ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“satire” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,136. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,136
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A literary device of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change or highlighting a shortcoming in the work of another. Imitat...

Corpus desk

Index EN-satire · satire · English

satire · rank #12,136 · 8 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,136
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sasha

Nearest frequency peer: Sasha (-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 “satire”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “satire” 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).

satire vs stir
67% similar
satire vs sire
67% similar
satire vs store
67% similar

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

Key facts for satire
PropertyValue
Headwordsatire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsætaɪɹ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,136
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “satire”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).satirelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Sasha” (#12,135), “Saul” (#12,137), “samurai” (#12,134). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “satire” is #12,136. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around satire (IPA /ˈsætaɪɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,136 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for satire, with forms such as "astire", "saitre", and "satier". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "stir", "sire", "store", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French satire, from Old French, from Latin satira, from earlier satura, from lanx satura (“full dish”), from feminine of satur. Altered in Latin by influence of Ancient Greek σάτυρος (sáturos, “satyr”), on the mistaken notion that the form is re… The correct English form is satire, spelled S-A-T-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A literary device of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change or highlighting a shortcoming in the work of another. Imitation, humor, irony, and exaggeration are often used to aid this.
  2. 2
    A satirical work.
  3. 3
    Severity of remark.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Satire deflates and debases. It is an art which topples greatness, undermines pretension and punishes pride by revealing the low in the pretendedly high, the filth in the pure, the folly in reason. This belittling trick deploys telescopic lenses which picture the human as lesser and lower, or as a machine or beast, driven by depraved desires. Satire reduc…
  2. a stinging satire of American politics.

Etymology

From Middle French satire, from Old French, from Latin satira, from earlier satura, from lanx satura (“full dish”), from feminine of satur. Altered in Latin by influence of Ancient Greek σάτυρος (sáturos, “satyr”), on the mistaken notion that the form is related to the Greek σατυρικὸν δράμα (saturikòn dráma, “satyr drama”).

This word in other languages

sátira(Español)satire(Français)Satire(Deutsch)sátira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • astire
  • saitre
  • satier
  • satirre
  • satrie
  • sattire
  • ssatire
  • staire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

astire2saitre2satier2satirre1satrie2sattire1ssatire1staire2
Edit distance from "satire"

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 "satire"?
"satire" is spelled S-A-T-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsætaɪɹ/.
What does "satire" mean?
As a noun, "satire" means: A literary device of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change or highlighting a shortcoming in the work of another. Imitat...
What words are commonly confused with "satire"?
"satire" is commonly confused with "stir", "sire", "store". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "satire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "satire" is /ˈsætaɪɹ/. 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 "satire"?
From Middle French satire, from Old French, from Latin satira, from earlier satura, from lanx satura (“full dish”), from feminine of satur. Altered in Latin by influence of Ancient Greek σάτυρος (sáturos, “satyr”), on the mistaken notion that the ... 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 "satire", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shakes#12,139speedy#12,144raging#12,127spying#12,145

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

slash8 variantsPrague8 variantstorque8 variantsMonaco8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list