simpleton
/ˈsɪmpəltən/
"simpleton" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“simpleton” is an uncommon English word, ranked #53,253 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #53,253
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A simple-minded person lacking common sense.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | simpleton |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪmpəltən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #53,253 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “simpleton” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for simpleton is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɪmpəltən/. Corpus data places it at rank #53,253 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A simple-minded person lacking common sense.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for simpleton, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From simple + -ton (as in a surname). Compare French simplet, Italian semplicione. The correct English form is simpleton, spelled S-I-M-P-L-E-T-O-N.
Definition
- 1A simple-minded person lacking common sense.
Etymology
From simple + -ton (as in a surname). Compare French simplet, Italian semplicione.
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 “simpleton”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-I-M-P-L-E-T-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪmpəltən/ (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.