sibling

/ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/

//ˈsɪb.lɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sibling” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,857. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,857
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who shares a parent; one's brother or sister who one shares a parent with.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sibling · sibling · English

sibling · rank #12,857 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,857
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scarce

Nearest frequency peer: scarce (-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 “sibling”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sibling” 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).

sibling vs sling
71% similar
sibling vs siding
71% similar
sibling vs sizing
71% similar

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

Key facts for sibling
PropertyValue
Headwordsibling
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,857
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sibling”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).siblinglands 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 “scarce” (#12,856), “simulator” (#12,858), “rusty” (#12,855). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sibling” is #12,857. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sibling (IPA /ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,857 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sibling, with forms such as "isbling", "sbiling", and "sibbling". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sling", "siding", "sizing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: First use appears c. 1903, a modern revival of Old English sibling (“relative, a relation, kinsman”), equivalent to sib + -ling. Compare Middle English siblynges pl, sib, sibbe (“relative; kinsman”), German Sippe. The term apparently meant merely kin or rel… The correct English form is sibling, spelled S-I-B-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who shares a parent; one's brother or sister who one shares a parent with.
  2. 2
    A node in a data structure that shares its parent with another node.
  3. 3
    The most closely related species, or one of several most closely related species when none can be determined to be more closely related.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. None of my siblings are married yet.
  2. D. simulans, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia (which we will call “the siblings” when we do not need to distinguish among them) have homosequential polytene chromosome banding patterns differing from those of D. melanogaster by one long inversion on chromosome arm 3R and a few much smaller inversions.

Etymology

First use appears c. 1903, a modern revival of Old English sibling (“relative, a relation, kinsman”), equivalent to sib + -ling. Compare Middle English siblynges pl, sib, sibbe (“relative; kinsman”), German Sippe. The term apparently meant merely kin or relative until the 20th century when it was applied in a way that aided the study of genetics, which led to its specialized use. For example, the OED has a citation in 1902 in which sibling must be defined for those who do not know the intended meaning.

This word in other languages

hermano(Español)adelphe(Français)Geschwisterchen(Deutsch)irmão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isbling
  • sbiling
  • sibbling
  • sibilng
  • siblign
  • siblingg
  • siblinng
  • siblling
  • siblnig
  • silbing
  • ssibling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sibling - 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.

isbling2sbiling2sibbling1sibilng2siblign2siblingg1siblinng1siblling1
Edit distance from "sibling"

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 "sibling"?
"sibling" is spelled S-I-B-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/.
What does "sibling" mean?
As a noun, "sibling" means: A person who shares a parent; one's brother or sister who one shares a parent with.
What words are commonly confused with "sibling"?
"sibling" is commonly confused with "sling", "siding", "sizing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sibling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sibling" is /ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/. 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 "sibling"?
First use appears c. 1903, a modern revival of Old English sibling (“relative, a relation, kinsman”), equivalent to sib + -ling. Compare Middle English siblynges pl, sib, sibbe (“relative; kinsman”), German Sippe. The term apparently meant merely ... 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 "sibling", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pudding#12,841plateau#12,830onwards#12,821adapter#12,898

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

slippery11 variantssuicidal11 variantsmosquito11 variantsArmenian11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list