simile
/ˈsɪməli/
"simile" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“simile” is an uncommon English word, ranked #59,018 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #59,018
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using e.g. like or as.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | simile |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪməli/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #59,018 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “simile” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for simile is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪməli/. Corpus data places it at rank #59,018 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for simile, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin simile (“comparison, likeness, parallel”) (first attested 1393), originally from simile, neuter form of similis (“like, similar, resembling”). Compare English similar. The correct English form is simile, spelled S-I-M-I-L-E.
Definition
- 1A figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using e.g. like or as.
- 2Similarity or resemblance to something else; likeness, similitude.
- 3Something similar that's not a clone.
Etymology
From Latin simile (“comparison, likeness, parallel”) (first attested 1393), originally from simile, neuter form of similis (“like, similar, resembling”). Compare English similar.
This word in other languages
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 “simile”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-I-M-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪməli/ (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
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.