signature

/ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃə(ɹ)/

//ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃə(ɹ)// noun

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

"signature" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“signature” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,713. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,713
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.

Corpus desk

Index EN-signature · signature · English

signature · rank #4,713 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,713
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shelter

Nearest frequency peer: shelter (-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 “signature”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “signature” 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).

signature vs signatory
78% similar

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

Key facts for signature
PropertyValue
Headwordsignature
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃə(ɹ)/
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,713
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “signature”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).signaturelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shelter” (#4,712), “sooner” (#4,714), “seventh” (#4,711). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “signature” is #4,713. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around signature (IPA /ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,713 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for signature, with forms such as "isgnature", "sginature", and "siganture". 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, "signatory", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French signature, or from Medieval Latin signātūra, future active periphrastic of verb signāre from signum (“sign”), + -tūra, feminine of -tūrus, future active periphrastic suffix. Displaced native Old English handseten (literally “hand… The correct English form is signature, spelled S-I-G-N-A-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.
  2. 2
    An act of signing one's name; an act of producing a signature.
  3. 3
    The part of a doctor’s prescription containing directions for the patient.
  4. 4
    Signs on the stave indicating key and tempo, composed of the key signature and the time signature.
  5. 5
    A group of four (or a multiple of four) sheets printed such that, when folded, they become a section of a book.
  6. 6
    A pattern used for matching the identity of a virus, the parameter types of a method, etc.
  7. 7
    Data attached to a message that guarantees that the message originated from its claimed source.
  8. 8
    A mark or sign of implication.
  9. 9
    A distinguishing feature or product.
  10. 10
    A tuple specifying the sign of coefficients in any diagonal form of a quadratic form.
  11. 11
    A resemblance between the external character of a disease and those of some physical agent, for instance, that existing between the red skin of scarlet fever and a red cloth; supposed to indicate this agent in the treatment of the disease.
  12. 12
    Text (or images, etc.) appended to a user's emails, newsgroup posts, forum posts, etc. as a way of adding a personal touch or including contact details.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language […] his clerks […] understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there. For his signature, however, that was different.
  2. IN COMMENTS during signature of the bill yesterday during “Agriculture Day” at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Thompson agreed with farmers that land needs to be protected.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French signature, or from Medieval Latin signātūra, future active periphrastic of verb signāre from signum (“sign”), + -tūra, feminine of -tūrus, future active periphrastic suffix. Displaced native Old English handseten (literally “hand setting”).

This word in other languages

firma(Español)signature(Français)Unterschrift(Deutsch)firma(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isgnature
  • sginature
  • siganture
  • siggnature
  • signatrue
  • signatture
  • signatuer
  • signaturre
  • signautre
  • signnature
  • signtaure
  • singature
  • ssignature

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

isgnature2sginature2siganture2siggnature1signatrue2signatture1signatuer2signaturre1
Edit distance from "signature"

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 "signature"?
"signature" is spelled S-I-G-N-A-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃə(ɹ)/.
What does "signature" mean?
As a noun, "signature" means: A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.
What words are commonly confused with "signature"?
"signature" is commonly confused with "signatory". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "signature"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "signature" is /ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃə(ɹ)/. 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 "signature"?
Borrowed from Middle French signature, or from Medieval Latin signātūra, future active periphrastic of verb signāre from signum (“sign”), + -tūra, feminine of -tūrus, future active periphrastic suffix. Displaced native Old English handseten (liter... 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 "signature", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

recovered#4,706inspector#4,682Indonesia#4,680copyright#4,747

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

tracking13 variantsformerly13 variantsindicates13 variantsBrooklyn13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list