significant

/sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/

//sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt// adj

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

"significant" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“significant” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,129 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,129
frequency rank, English
11
letters
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Signifying something; carrying meaning.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

significant vs significantly
85% similar
significant vs significance
83% similar

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

Key facts for significant
PropertyValue
Headwordsignificant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#1,129
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “significant” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). significant lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for significant is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,129 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for significant, with forms such as "isgnificant", "sginificant", and "siggnificant". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "significantly", "significance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin significans, present participle of significare, from signum (“sign”) + ficare (“do, make”), variant of facere. The correct English form is significant, spelled S-I-G-N-I-F-I-C-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Signifying something; carrying meaning.
  2. 2
    Having a noticeable or major effect.
  3. 3
    Reasonably large in number or amount.
  4. 4
    Having a covert or hidden meaning.
  5. 5
    Having a low probability of occurring by chance (for example, having high correlation and thus likely to be related).
  6. 6
    Of a digit or figure, see significant figure.

Etymology

From Latin significans, present participle of significare, from signum (“sign”) + ficare (“do, make”), variant of facere.

Synonyms

important

Antonyms

insignificantignorablenegligibleslight

This word in other languages

significativo(Español)significatif(Français)signifikant(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: isgnificant,sginificant,siggnificant,siginficant,signfiicant,signifciant,signifficant,signifiacnt,significannt,significantt,significatn,significcant,significnat,signiifcant,signnificant,singificant,ssignificant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

isgnificant2sginificant2siggnificant1siginficant2signfiicant2signifciant2signifficant1signifiacnt2
Edit distance from "significant"

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 "significant"?
"significant" is spelled S-I-G-N-I-F-I-C-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/.
What does "significant" mean?
As an adjective, "significant" means: Signifying something; carrying meaning.
What words are commonly confused with "significant"?
"significant" is commonly confused with "significantly", "significance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "significant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "significant" is /sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/. 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 "significant"?
From Latin significans, present participle of significare, from signum (“sign”) + ficare (“do, make”), variant of facere. 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.

Using “significant”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-I-G-N-I-F-I-C-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “significantly” - see the side-by-side comparison. significant vs significantly
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list