selfie

/ˈsɛlfi/

//ˈsɛlfi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“selfie” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,444. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,444
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A photographic self-portrait, especially one taken manually (not using a timer, tripod etc.) with a small camera or mobile phone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-selfie · selfie · English

selfie · rank #10,444 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,444
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH screenshot

Nearest frequency peer: screenshot (-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 “selfie”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “selfie” 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).

selfie vs serie
67% similar
selfie vs Sylvie
50% similar
selfie vs selfish
71% similar

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

Key facts for selfie
PropertyValue
Headwordselfie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛlfi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,444
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “selfie”

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).selfielands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “screenshot” (#10,443), “settlers” (#10,445), “sampling” (#10,442). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “selfie” is #10,444. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around selfie (IPA /ˈsɛlfi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,444 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A photographic self-portrait, especially one taken manually (not using a timer, tripod etc.) with a small camera or mobile phone.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for selfie, with forms such as "eslfie", "seflie", and "selfei". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "serie", "Sylvie", "selfish", 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 self + -ie. Attested since 2002, originally Australian English. The correct English form is selfie, spelled S-E-L-F-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A photographic self-portrait, especially one taken manually (not using a timer, tripod etc.) with a small camera or mobile phone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. take a selfie
  2. Um, drunk at a mates^([sic]) 21st, I tripped ofer^([sic]) and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie.

Etymology

From self + -ie. Attested since 2002, originally Australian English.

This word in other languages

autofoto(Español)selfie(Français)Selfie(Deutsch)selfie(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eslfie
  • seflie
  • selfei
  • selffie
  • selife
  • sellfie
  • slefie
  • sselfie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of selfie - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eslfie2seflie2selfei2selffie1selife2sellfie1slefie2sselfie1
Edit distance from "selfie"

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 "selfie"?
"selfie" is spelled S-E-L-F-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛlfi/.
What does "selfie" mean?
As a noun, "selfie" means: A photographic self-portrait, especially one taken manually (not using a timer, tripod etc.) with a small camera or mobile phone.
What words are commonly confused with "selfie"?
"selfie" is commonly confused with "serie", "Sylvie", "selfish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "selfie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "selfie" is /ˈsɛlfi/. 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 "selfie"?
From self + -ie. Attested since 2002, originally Australian English. 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 "selfie", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

tended#10,460that'd#10,463tossed#10,466PayPal#10,419

Similar misspelling depth

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

unsure8 variantsAlexis8 variantsmaths8 variantsbaggage8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list