self
/ˈsɛlf/
"self" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“self” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #564 in English word frequency and used as a pronoun.
- #564
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned).
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | self |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Pronoun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛlf/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #564 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “self” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for self is 4 letters long, classified as a pronoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛlf/. Corpus data places it at rank #564 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for self, with forms such as "eslf", "sefl", and "selff". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sf", "SL", "set", 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 English self, silf, sulf, from Old English self, seolf, sylf, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba), German selbst and Dutch zelf. The correct English form is self, spelled S-E-L-F.
Definition
- 1Himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves; that specific (person mentioned).
- 2Myself, oneself.
Etymology
From Middle English self, silf, sulf, from Old English self, seolf, sylf, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba), German selbst and Dutch zelf.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eslf,sefl,selff,sellf,slef,sself
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of self - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "self"?
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Using “self”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɛlf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “sf” - see the side-by-side comparison. self vs sf
- 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.