single out
/ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈaʊ̯t/
"single-out" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“single out” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | single out |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈaʊ̯t/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “single out” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for single out is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈaʊ̯t/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently.".
Zero misspellings are on record for single out in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From single (“to take alone, or one by one”, intransitive archaic verb) + out. First attested in 1629. The correct English form is single out, spelled S-I-N-G-L-E- -O-U-T.
Definition
- 1To select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently.
Etymology
From single (“to take alone, or one by one”, intransitive archaic verb) + out. First attested in 1629.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “single out”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-I-N-G-L-E- -O-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈaʊ̯t/ (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.