simmer

/ˈsɪmɚ/

//ˈsɪmɚ// verb

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

"simmer" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“simmer” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,499. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,499
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cook or undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.

Corpus desk

Index EN-simmer · simmer · English

simmer · rank #20,499 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,499
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH silica

Nearest frequency peer: silica (-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 “simmer”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “simmer” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

simmer vs Simms
50% similar
simmer vs Somme
50% similar
simmer vs summer
83% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for simmer
PropertyValue
Headwordsimmer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsɪmɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,499
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “simmer”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).simmerlands 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 “silica” (#20,498), “smokey” (#20,500), “sig” (#20,497). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “simmer” is #20,499. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around simmer (IPA /ˈsɪmɚ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #20,499 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for simmer, with forms such as "ismmer", "simemr", and "simer". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Simms", "Somme", "summer", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From alteration of dialectal simper, from Middle English simperen (“to simmer”), of possibly imitative origin. First attested in the intransitive sense. The noun is from the verb. First attested in the late 15ᵗʰ century. The correct English form is simmer, spelled S-I-M-M-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cook or undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
  2. 2
    To cause to cook or to cause to undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
  3. 3
    To be on the point of breaking out into anger; to be agitated.
  4. 4
    To remain angry with someone or something past the point of exhaustion; to resign oneself to holding a grudge, especially after some failed attempts to resolve a situation.
  5. 5
    To develop gradually, of an idea or plan.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The soup simmered on the stove.
  2. The locomotive was the now inevitable American 2-8-0, No. 2623. There she stood, effectively blocking the level crossing, simmering gently, massively inert. It was almost dark, and one's final sight was of her high, firelit cab, the enginemen nonchalantly leaning out, waiting for the right-away, while impatient road convoys piled up on both sides of the c…

Etymology

From alteration of dialectal simper, from Middle English simperen (“to simmer”), of possibly imitative origin. First attested in the intransitive sense. The noun is from the verb. First attested in the late 15ᵗʰ century.

This word in other languages

calentarse(Español)mijoter(Français)sieden(Deutsch)aferventar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ismmer
  • simemr
  • simer
  • simmerr
  • simmre
  • smimer
  • ssimmer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of simmer - 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.

ismmer2simemr2simer1simmerr1simmre2smimer2ssimmer1
Edit distance from "simmer"

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 "simmer"?
"simmer" is spelled S-I-M-M-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪmɚ/.
What does "simmer" mean?
As a verb, "simmer" means: To cook or undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
What words are commonly confused with "simmer"?
"simmer" is commonly confused with "Simms", "Somme", "summer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "simmer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "simmer" is /ˈsɪmɚ/. 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 "simmer"?
From alteration of dialectal simper, from Middle English simperen (“to simmer”), of possibly imitative origin. First attested in the intransitive sense. The noun is from the verb. First attested in the late 15ᵗʰ century. 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 "simmer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

silica#20,498smokey#20,500sharpe#20,494serene#20,490

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

scarred7 variantssaver7 variantsTimor7 variantstweak7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list