screensaver

noun

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

"screensaver" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“screensaver” is uncommon English (frequency #50,213 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,213
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A computer program that displays aesthetic patterns or images when the computer is not being used, originally intended to prevent screenburn.

Key facts for screensaver
PropertyValue
Headwordscreensaver
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#50,213
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “screensaver” 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). screensaver lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

screensaver is uncommon English at frequency #50,213 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for screensaver in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From screen + saver. The correct English form is screensaver, spelled S-C-R-E-E-N-S-A-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A computer program that displays aesthetic patterns or images when the computer is not being used, originally intended to prevent screenburn.
  2. 2
    The background picture of a computer, smartphone, or similar mobile device.

Etymology

From screen + saver.

This word in other languages

protector de pantalla(Español)écran de veille(Français)Bildschirmschoner(Deutsch)

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 "screensaver"?
"screensaver" is spelled S-C-R-E-E-N-S-A-V-E-R.
What does "screensaver" mean?
As a noun, "screensaver" means: A computer program that displays aesthetic patterns or images when the computer is not being used, originally intended to prevent screenburn.
What is the origin of the word "screensaver"?
From screen + saver. 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 “screensaver”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-C-R-E-E-N-S-A-V-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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