settle
/ˈsɛ.təl/
"settle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“settle” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,847. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #3,847
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 13
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To conclude or resolve (something):
Corpus desk
Index EN-settle · settle · English
settle · rank #3,847 · 7 variants · 13 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #3,847
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
- VAR-MID 7 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH seed
Nearest frequency peer: seed (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “settle”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- routine
routine
96,157 corpus weight
- scary
scary
96,156 corpus weight
- seed
seed
96,155 corpus weight
- settle
settle
96,154 corpus weight
- sin
sin
96,153 corpus weight
- spell
spell
96,152 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “settle” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | settle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈsɛ.təl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #3,847 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 13 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “settle” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around settle (IPA /ˈsɛ.təl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,847 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 34 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for settle, with forms such as "esttle", "setle", and "setlte". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "style", "stole", "stale", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From a merger of two verbs: * Middle English setlen, from Old English setlan (“to settle, seat, put to rest”), from Old English setl (“seat”) (compare Dutch zetelen (“to be established, settle”)) and * Middle English sahtlen, seihtlen (“to reconcile, calm, … The correct English form is settle, spelled S-E-T-T-L-E.
Definition
- 1To conclude or resolve (something):
- 2To conclude or resolve (something):
- 3To conclude or resolve (something):
- 4To conclude or resolve (something):
- 5To conclude or resolve (something):
- 6To conclude or resolve (something):
- 7To conclude or resolve (something):
- 8To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
- 9To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
- 10To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
- 11To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
- 12To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
- 13To place or arrange in(to) a desired (especially: calm) state, or make final disposition of (something).
- 14To become calm, quiet, or orderly; to stop being agitated.
- 15To become calm, quiet, or orderly; to stop being agitated.
- 16To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 17To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 18To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 19To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 20To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 21To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 22To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 23To establish or become established in a steady position:
- 24To fix one's residence in a place; to establish a dwelling place, home, or colony. (Compare settle down.)
- 25To fix one's residence in a place; to establish a dwelling place, home, or colony. (Compare settle down.)
- 26To move (people) to (a land or territory), so as to colonize it; to cause (people) to take residence in (a place).
- 27To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 28To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 29To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 30To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 31To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 32To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 33To sink, or cause (something, or impurities within it) to sink down, especially so as to become clear or compact.
- 34Of an animal: to make or become pregnant.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how settle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
His fears were settled
She hopes to settle any questions about the plans.
Etymology
From a merger of two verbs: * Middle English setlen, from Old English setlan (“to settle, seat, put to rest”), from Old English setl (“seat”) (compare Dutch zetelen (“to be established, settle”)) and * Middle English sahtlen, seihtlen (“to reconcile, calm, subside”), from Old English sahtlian, ġesehtlian (“to reconcile”), from Old English saht, seht (“settlement, agreement, reconciliation, peace”) (see saught, -le). German siedeln (“to settle”) is related to the former of the two verbs, but is not an immediate cognate of either of them.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- esttle
- setle
- setlte
- settel
- settlle
- ssettle
- stetle
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of settle - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "settle", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "settle". Here's where to go from here.
- "settle" maps to 13 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "style". View pair
- 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #3,847 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.