similar
/ˈsɪm.ɪ.lə/
"similar" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“similar” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #626. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #626
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, allied, comparable.
Corpus desk
Index EN-similar · similar · English
similar · rank #626 · 10 variants · 3 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #626
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
- VAR-MID 10 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH record
Nearest frequency peer: record (-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 “similar”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- period
period
99,378 corpus weight
- position
position
99,377 corpus weight
- record
record
99,376 corpus weight
- similar
similar
99,375 corpus weight
- total
total
99,374 corpus weight
- w
w
99,373 corpus weight
What this shows “similar” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | similar |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈsɪm.ɪ.lə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #626 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “similar”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around similar (IPA /ˈsɪm.ɪ.lə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #626 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for similar, with forms such as "ismilar", "siimlar", and "simialr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "simpler", "similarly", "seminar", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French similaire, from Medieval Latin similaris, extended from Latin similis (“like”); akin to simul (“together”). The correct English form is similar, spelled S-I-M-I-L-A-R.
Definition
- 1Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, allied, comparable.
- 2Having the same shape, in particular, having corresponding angles equal and corresponding line segments proportional.
- 3Of two square matrices; being such that a conjugation sends one matrix to the other.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how similar appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
My new car is quite similar to my old one, except it has a bit more space in the back.
So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills,[…]a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
Etymology
From French similaire, from Medieval Latin similaris, extended from Latin similis (“like”); akin to simul (“together”).
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ismilar
- siimlar
- simialr
- similarr
- simillar
- similra
- simliar
- simmilar
- smiilar
- ssimilar
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of similar - 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.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "similar", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).