settler

/ˈsɛt.lɚ/

//ˈsɛt.lɚ// noun

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

"settler" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“settler” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,988. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,988
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who settles in a new location, especially one who takes up residence in a previously uninhabited place; a colonist.

Corpus desk

Index EN-settler · settler · English

settler · rank #23,988 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,988
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Selma

Nearest frequency peer: Selma (-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 “settler”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “settler” 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).

settler vs sitter
71% similar
settler vs Sutter
57% similar
settler vs settlers
88% similar

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

Key facts for settler
PropertyValue
Headwordsettler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛt.lɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,988
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “settler”

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).settlerlands 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 “Selma” (#23,987), “sever” (#23,989), “Scorpio” (#23,986). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “settler” is #23,988. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around settler (IPA /ˈsɛt.lɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,988 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for settler, with forms such as "esttler", "setler", and "setlter". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "sitter", "Sutter", "settlers", 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 settle + -er. The correct English form is settler, spelled S-E-T-T-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who settles in a new location, especially one who takes up residence in a previously uninhabited place; a colonist.
  2. 2
    Someone who decides or settles something, such as a dispute.
  3. 3
    That which settles or finishes, such as a blow that decides a contest.
  4. 4
    The person in a betting shop who calculates the winnings.
  5. 5
    A drink which settles the stomach, especially a bitter drink, often a nightcap.
  6. 6
    A vessel, such as a tub, in which something, such as pulverized ore suspended in a liquid, is allowed to settle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the first settlers of New England
  2. The law, which let settlers stay on private land if they had built there without knowing the property belonged to Palestinians or had done so at the state’s direction, was backed by Israel’s most right-wing governing coalition to date.

Etymology

From settle + -er.

This word in other languages

colono(Español)colon(Français)Siedler(Deutsch)colono(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esttler
  • setler
  • setlter
  • settelr
  • settlerr
  • settller
  • settlre
  • ssettler
  • stetler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esttler2setler1setlter2settelr2settlerr1settller1settlre2ssettler1
Edit distance from "settler"

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 "settler"?
"settler" is spelled S-E-T-T-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛt.lɚ/.
What does "settler" mean?
As a noun, "settler" means: Someone who settles in a new location, especially one who takes up residence in a previously uninhabited place; a colonist.
What words are commonly confused with "settler"?
"settler" is commonly confused with "sitter", "Sutter", "settlers". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "settler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "settler" is /ˈsɛt.lɚ/. 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 "settler"?
From settle + -er. 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 "settler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Scorpio#23,986sharpen#23,990shutout#23,995solidly#24,004

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

sickle9 variantsSlavic9 variantsredress9 variantsraving9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list