set
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
3 characters
Language
English
word origin
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Detailed reference entry for the English word "set", 3-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "set" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "set" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
set is aEnglishverb. It means: To put (something) down, to rest. Pronounced /sɛt/. It ranks #234 in English word frequency. Often confused with so and SI.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | set |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /sɛt/ |
| Letters | 3 |
| Frequency rank | #234 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for set is 3 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɛt/. Corpus data places it at rank #234 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 47 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No frequent misspelling variants are recorded for set in our index, suggesting the orthography either follows predictable English patterns or the word is uncommon enough that typo corpora lack signal.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "so", "SI", "SS", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English setten, from Old English settan, from Proto-West Germanic *sattjan, from Proto-Germanic *satjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti, causative of *sed- (“to sit”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is set, spelled S-E-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1To put (something) down, to rest.
- 2To attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place.
- 3To put in a specified condition or state; to cause to be.
- 4To start (a fire).
- 5To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot.
- 6To determine or settle.
- 7To adjust.
- 8To punch (a nail) into wood so that its head is below the surface.
- 9To arrange with dishes and cutlery, to set the table.
- 10To introduce or describe.
- 11To locate (a play, etc.); to assign a backdrop to, geographically or temporally.
- 12To compile, to make (a puzzle or challenge).
- 13To prepare (a stage or film set).
- 14To fit (someone) up in a situation.
- 15To arrange (type).
- 16To devise and assign (work) to.
- 17To direct (the ball) to a teammate for an attack.
- 18To solidify.
- 19To render stiff or solid; especially, to convert into curd; to curdle.
- 20Of a heavenly body, to disappear below the horizon of a planet, etc, as the latter rotates.
- 21To defeat a contract.
- 22To begin to move; to go forth.
- 23To produce after pollination.
- 24To be fixed for growth; to strike root; to begin to germinate or form.
- 25To sit (be in a seated position).
- 26To rest or lie somewhere, on something, etc.; to occupy a certain place.
- 27To hunt game with the aid of a setter.
- 28Of a dog, to indicate the position of game.
- 29To apply oneself; to undertake earnestly.
- 30To fit music to words.
- 31To place plants or shoots in the ground; to plant.
- 32To become fixed or rigid; to be fastened.
- 33To have a certain direction of motion; to flow; to move on; to tend.
- 34To acknowledge a dancing partner by facing him or her and moving first to one side and then to the other, while she or he does the opposite.
- 35To place or fix in a setting.
- 36To put in order in a particular manner; to prepare.
- 37To extend and bring into position; to spread.
- 38To give a pitch to, as a tune; to start by fixing the keynote.
- 39To reduce from a dislocated or fractured state.
- 40To sit or lie (easily etc.) on the stomach; to be digested in a certain manner.
- 41To lower into place and fix solidly, as the blocks of cut stone in a structure.
- 42To wager in gambling; to risk.
- 43To adorn with something infixed or affixed; to stud; to variegate with objects placed here and there.
- 44To value; to rate; used with at.
- 45To establish as a rule; to furnish; to prescribe; to assign.
- 46To suit; to become.
- 47To cause (a domestic fowl) to sit on eggs to brood.
Etymology
From Middle English setten, from Old English settan, from Proto-West Germanic *sattjan, from Proto-Germanic *satjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sodéyeti, causative of *sed- (“to sit”).
This word in other languages
Frequency rank: #234 in English
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Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index: