set apart
"set-apart" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“set apart” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To select (something or someone) for a specific purpose.
Corpus desk
Index EN-set-apart · set apart · English
set apart · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | set apart |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “set apart” in English
Rare enough to double-check
set apart is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
set apart doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is set apart, spelled S-E-T- -A-P-A-R-T.
Definition
- 1To select (something or someone) for a specific purpose.
- 2To distinguish, make obvious the distinction between (two things) or of (something).
- 3Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: to separate or isolate.
- 4To perform a blessing which formally invests a person with authority to serve in a calling or leadership position, typically by laying on of hands.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how set apart appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
It is one of the ironies of capital cities that each acts as a symbol of its nation, and yet few are even remotely representative of it. London has always set itself apart from the rest of Britain — but political, economic and social trends are conspiring to drive that wedge deeper.
"This is a particularly good example of a timber railway station, with its Royal connection giving rise to some outstanding internal and external detailing. The swan-necked iron lamps, the porte-cochère and outstanding decoration in the Royal waiting room set the station apart."
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.