selector

/sɪˈlɛktə(ɹ)/

//sɪˈlɛktə(ɹ)// noun

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

"selector" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“selector” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,390. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,390
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone or something which selects or chooses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-selector · selector · English

selector · rank #23,390 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,390
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH seine

Nearest frequency peer: seine (-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 “selector”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “selector” 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).

selector vs Spector
63% similar
selector vs sector
75% similar
selector vs select
75% similar

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

Key facts for selector
PropertyValue
Headwordselector
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɪˈlɛktə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#23,390
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “selector”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).selectorlands 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 “seine” (#23,389), “shawl” (#23,391), “Shenzhen” (#23,392). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “selector” is #23,390. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around selector (IPA /sɪˈlɛktə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,390 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for selector, with forms such as "eslector", "seelctor", and "selcetor". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Spector", "sector", "select", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From select + -or. The correct English form is selector, spelled S-E-L-E-C-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone or something which selects or chooses.
  2. 2
    An administrator responsible for selecting which players will play for a side.
  3. 3
    A matching expression in a stylesheet determining which elements in the markup are affected by a style.
  4. 4
    A pointer to a structure describing a segment of memory.
  5. 5
    A text string transmitted to a Gopher server, identifying the resource to be retrieved.
  6. 6
    A disc jockey.
  7. 7
    A person who is entitled to choose a tract of Crown land to purchase.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There is one selection for hot chocolate. All selectors are the push button type.
  2. The ID selector targets just one element per page, making it much more specific than a class selector that might target many.

Etymology

From select + -or.

This word in other languages

selecionador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eslector
  • seelctor
  • selcetor
  • selecctor
  • selecotr
  • selectorr
  • selectro
  • selecttor
  • seletcor
  • sellector
  • sleector
  • sselector

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eslector2seelctor2selcetor2selecctor1selecotr2selectorr1selectro2selecttor1
Edit distance from "selector"

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 "selector"?
"selector" is spelled S-E-L-E-C-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈlɛktə(ɹ)/.
What does "selector" mean?
As a noun, "selector" means: Someone or something which selects or chooses.
What words are commonly confused with "selector"?
"selector" is commonly confused with "Spector", "sector", "select". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "selector"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "selector" is /sɪˈlɛktə(ɹ)/. 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 "selector"?
From select + -or. 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 "selector", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Shenzhen#23,392seconded#23,387shilling#23,393scariest#23,384

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Reginald12 variantsreconnect12 variantsproximal12 variantsunsigned12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list