similar
/ˈsɪm.ɪ.lə/
"similar" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“similar” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #626 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #626
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, allied, comparable.
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) |
Where “similar” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for similar is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪm.ɪ.lə/. Corpus data places it at rank #626 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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.
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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Using “similar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-I-M-I-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪm.ɪ.lə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “simpler” - see the side-by-side comparison. similar vs simpler
- 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.