sector

/ˈsɛk.təɹ/

//ˈsɛk.təɹ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sector” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,229. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,229
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A section.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sector · sector · English

sector · rank #2,229 · 9 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,229
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH relatively

Nearest frequency peer: relatively (-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 “sector”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sector” 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).

sector vs sects
67% similar
sector vs seton
67% similar
sector vs señor
67% similar

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

Key facts for sector
PropertyValue
Headwordsector
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛk.təɹ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,229
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sector”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sectorlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “relatively” (#2,228), “sharing” (#2,230), “recorded” (#2,227). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sector” is #2,229. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around sector (IPA /ˈsɛk.təɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,229 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sector, with forms such as "esctor", "scetor", and "secctor". 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, "sects", "seton", "señor", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin sector. The correct English form is sector, spelled S-E-C-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A section.
  2. 2
    In the schedule for an aircraft and its crew, the period starting with preparation of the plane before loading at one airport and ending with deplaning at the next.
  3. 3
    A zone; a designated area.
  4. 4
    A zone; a designated area.
  5. 5
    A zone; a designated area.
  6. 6
    A zone; a designated area.
  7. 7
    Part of a circle, extending to the center; circular sector.
  8. 8
    A portion of a sphere or ball defined by a conical boundary with apex at the center of the sphere.
  9. 9
    A fixed-sized unit (traditionally 512 bytes) of sequential data stored on a track of a digital medium.
  10. 10
    An instrument consisting of two rulers of equal length joined by a hinge.
  11. 11
    A field of economic activity.
  12. 12
    A toothed gear whose face is the arc of a circle.
  13. 13
    A fixed, continuous section of the track, such that sectors do not overlap but all sectors make up the whole track.
  14. 14
    An area of a crag, consisting of various routes

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shireroth shall not recognize the use of Sectors^([sic]) as a micronational geographic or cultural subdivision. Nor shall it reside in any sector. Nor shall any duchy or territory be considered a part of ANY sector unless the Duchy or Territory expressly grants permision^([sic]) to be considered in such sector.
  2. I'll also provide a list of all active citizens, I understand that in the past this has been hard due to lack of updates of the necessary links but as someone said not so long ago the CIS sector is in more of a flux than other sectors - bar Lovely 😉

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sector.

This word in other languages

sector(Español)secteur(Français)setor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esctor
  • scetor
  • secctor
  • secotr
  • sectorr
  • sectro
  • secttor
  • setcor
  • ssector

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esctor2scetor2secctor1secotr2sectorr1sectro2secttor1setcor2
Edit distance from "sector"

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 "sector"?
"sector" is spelled S-E-C-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛk.təɹ/.
What does "sector" mean?
As a noun, "sector" means: A section.
What words are commonly confused with "sector"?
"sector" is commonly confused with "sects", "seton", "señor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sector"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sector" is /ˈsɛk.təɹ/. 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 "sector"?
Borrowed from Latin sector. 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 "sector", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

strike#2,234studio#2,235jersey#2,213owners#2,264

Similar misspelling depth

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

YouTube9 variantsletters9 variantsItalian9 variantsholiday9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list