settlement

/ˈsɛ.təl.mənt/

//ˈsɛ.təl.mənt// noun

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

"settlement" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“settlement” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,085. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,085
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of settling.

Corpus desk

Index EN-settlement · settlement · English

settlement · rank #3,085 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,085
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Santa

Nearest frequency peer: Santa (-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 “settlement”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “settlement” 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).

settlement vs settlements
91% similar

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

Key facts for settlement
PropertyValue
Headwordsettlement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛ.təl.mənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,085
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “settlement”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).settlementlands 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 “Santa” (#3,084), “smell” (#3,086), “rough” (#3,083). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “settlement” is #3,085. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around settlement (IPA /ˈsɛ.təl.mənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,085 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for settlement, with forms such as "esttlement", "setlement", and "setltement". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "settlements", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From settle + -ment. The correct English form is settlement, spelled S-E-T-T-L-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of settling.
  2. 2
    The state of being settled.
  3. 3
    A colony that is newly established; a place or region newly settled.
  4. 4
    A community of people living together, such as a hamlet, village, town, or city; a populated place.
  5. 5
    A site where people used to live together in ancient times; an ancient simple kind of village.
  6. 6
    The gradual sinking of a building. Fractures or dislocations caused by settlement.
  7. 7
    The delivery of goods by the seller and payment for them by the buyer, under a previously agreed trade or transaction or contract entered into.
  8. 8
    A disposition of property, or the act of granting it.
  9. 9
    A settled place of abode; residence; a right growing out of legal residence.
  10. 10
    A resolution of a dispute.
  11. 11
    A mutual agreement to end a dispute without resorting to legal proceedings, also known as an out-of-court settlement or settling out of court.
  12. 12
    An estate or district in Anglo-Indian Bengal where, instead of taking a quota of the year's produce, the government took a fixed sum several times a year from the local cultivators.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. settlement of debt
  2. Such anthropophilous behaviour makes it a good candidate for a commensal relationship with humans at the Neolithic settlements of Quanhucun, Wuzhuangguoliang and Xiawanggang, as well as other Middle and Late Neolithic settlements in China […]

Etymology

From settle + -ment.

Synonyms

arrangementdispositionsettlement

This word in other languages

poblado(Español)règlement(Français)Regelung(Deutsch)estabelecer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esttlement
  • setlement
  • setltement
  • settelment
  • settleemnt
  • settlemennt
  • settlementt
  • settlemetn
  • settlemment
  • settlemnet
  • settllement
  • settlmeent
  • ssettlement
  • stetlement

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esttlement2setlement1setltement2settelment2settleemnt2settlemennt1settlementt1settlemetn2
Edit distance from "settlement"

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 "settlement"?
"settlement" is spelled S-E-T-T-L-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛ.təl.mənt/.
What does "settlement" mean?
As a noun, "settlement" means: The act of settling.
What words are commonly confused with "settlement"?
"settlement" is commonly confused with "settlements". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "settlement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "settlement" is /ˈsɛ.təl.mənt/. 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 "settlement"?
From settle + -ment. 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 "settlement", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

philosophy#3,077consistent#3,100continuing#3,101percentage#3,122

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

returning14 variantsinvolving14 variantsformation14 variantscriticism14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list