signifier

Name: signifier, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/

//ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“signifier” is uncommon English (frequency #68,637 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,637
frequency rank, English: 54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.

Key facts for signifier
Property	Value
Headword	signifier
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#68,637
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “signifier” 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). signifier lands here:

#68,637

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

signifier is uncommon English at frequency #68,637 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for signifier in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From signify + -er. The correct English form is signifier, spelled S-I-G-N-I-F-I-E-R.

Definition

1
Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.
2
Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.
3
A sign, such as a written or spoken word, which refers to some concept, object or person, the signified.

Etymology

From signify + -er.

Synonyms

significator

This word in other languages

significante(Español)signifiant(Français)Signifikant(Deutsch)

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 "signifier"?

"signifier" is spelled S-I-G-N-I-F-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/.

What does "signifier" mean?

As a noun, "signifier" means: Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.

How do you pronounce "signifier"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "signifier" is /ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/. 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 "signifier"?

From signify + -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.

Using “signifier”

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-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.