silhouette

/ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt/

//ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt// noun

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

"silhouette" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“silhouette” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,464. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,464
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An illustrated outline filled in with a solid color(s), usually only black, and intended to represent the shape of an object without revealing any other visual details; a similar appearance produce...

Corpus desk

Index EN-silhouette · silhouette · English

silhouette · rank #19,464 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,464
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slug

Nearest frequency peer: slug (+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 “silhouette”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “silhouette” 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
Key facts for silhouette
PropertyValue
Headwordsilhouette
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#19,464
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “silhouette”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).silhouettelands 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 “slug” (#19,465), “sickening” (#19,462), “smackdown” (#19,466). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “silhouette” is #19,464. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around silhouette (IPA /ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,464 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for silhouette, with forms such as "islhouette", "sihlouette", and "silhhouette". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French silhouette, after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–1767), French Controller of Finances. De Silhouette's penny-pinching led to the French term à la Silhouette, applied to things perceived as cheap or austere, such as an outline filled only w… The correct English form is silhouette, spelled S-I-L-H-O-U-E-T-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An illustrated outline filled in with a solid color(s), usually only black, and intended to represent the shape of an object without revealing any other visual details; a similar appearance produced when the object being viewed is situated in relative darkness with brighter lighting behind it; a profile portrait in black, such as a shadow appears to be.
  2. 2
    The outline of a garment as it appears on the wearer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I could see a silhouette of a figure looking out from the window, but I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
  2. At Stirling, we obtained a wonderful silhouette view of the Wallace Monument, and the dark line of the Ochil Hills, and the castle stood out clearly against the afterglow of the sunset.

Etymology

Borrowed from French silhouette, after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–1767), French Controller of Finances. De Silhouette's penny-pinching led to the French term à la Silhouette, applied to things perceived as cheap or austere, such as an outline filled only with black. Étienne de Silhouette's surname is, in turn, gallicized Basque. It derives from Ziloeta or Zilhoeta, modern Basque Zulueta, from the local plural (see -ak) stem of zulo (“hole, cave”).

This word in other languages

silueta(Español)silhouette(Français)Silhouette(Deutsch)contorno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • islhouette
  • sihlouette
  • silhhouette
  • silhoeutte
  • silhouete
  • silhouetet
  • silhoutete
  • silhuoette
  • sillhouette
  • silohuette
  • slihouette
  • ssilhouette

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of silhouette - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

islhouette2sihlouette2silhhouette1silhoeutte2silhouete1silhouetet2silhoutete2silhuoette2
Edit distance from "silhouette"

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 "silhouette"?
"silhouette" is spelled S-I-L-H-O-U-E-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt/.
What does "silhouette" mean?
As a noun, "silhouette" means: An illustrated outline filled in with a solid color(s), usually only black, and intended to represent the shape of an object without revealing any other visual details; a similar appearance produce...
What are common misspellings of "silhouette"?
Common misspellings include "islhouette", "sihlouette", "silhhouette", "silhoeutte", "silhouete". The correct spelling is "silhouette".
How do you pronounce "silhouette"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "silhouette" is /ˌsɪ.lʊˈwɛt/. 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 "silhouette"?
Borrowed from French silhouette, after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–1767), French Controller of Finances. De Silhouette's penny-pinching led to the French term à la Silhouette, applied to things perceived as cheap or austere, such as an outline fil... 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 "silhouette", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shattering#19,456Stephenson#19,475resurgence#19,437unanswered#19,492

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

toughness12 variantsweirdest12 variantsWestwood12 variantsWhitehall12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list