sinister

/ˈsɪnɪstə/

//ˈsɪnɪstə// adj

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

"sinister" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sinister” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,064. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,064
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Inauspicious, ominous, unlucky, illegitimate (as in bar sinister).

Corpus desk

Index EN-sinister · sinister · English

sinister · rank #13,064 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,064
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sinclair

Nearest frequency peer: Sinclair (-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 “sinister”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sinister” 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).

sinister vs sister
75% similar
sinister vs spinster
75% similar

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

Key facts for sinister
PropertyValue
Headwordsinister
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɪnɪstə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,064
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sinister”

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).sinisterlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Sinclair” (#13,063), “stared” (#13,065), “strait” (#13,066). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sinister” is #13,064. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sinister (IPA /ˈsɪnɪstə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,064 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sinister, with forms such as "isnister", "siinster", and "sinisetr". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "sister", "spinster", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sinistre (“unlucky”), from Old French senestre, sinistre (“left”), from Latin sinister (“left hand”). The correct English form is sinister, spelled S-I-N-I-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inauspicious, ominous, unlucky, illegitimate (as in bar sinister).
  2. 2
    Evil or seemingly evil; indicating lurking danger or harm.
  3. 3
    Of the left side.
  4. 4
    On the left side of a shield from the wearer's standpoint, and the right side to the viewer.
  5. 5
    Wrong, as springing from indirection or obliquity; perverse; dishonest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All the several ills that visit earth, Brought forth by night, with a sinister birth.
  2. And in the meanwhile, Society shivered a little feverishly, filled now with the scions of those who had come over with the Jewish and American Conquests. Escutcheons were becoming valueless, how sinister soever the blots and clots upon them.

Etymology

From Middle English sinistre (“unlucky”), from Old French senestre, sinistre (“left”), from Latin sinister (“left hand”).

This word in other languages

siniestro(Español)sinistre(Français)sinister(Deutsch)sinistro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isnister
  • siinster
  • sinisetr
  • sinisster
  • sinisterr
  • sinistre
  • sinistter
  • sinitser
  • sinnister
  • sinsiter
  • sniister
  • ssinister

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sinister - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

isnister2siinster2sinisetr2sinisster1sinisterr1sinistre2sinistter1sinitser2
Edit distance from "sinister"

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 "sinister"?
"sinister" is spelled S-I-N-I-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪnɪstə/.
What does "sinister" mean?
As an adjective, "sinister" means: Inauspicious, ominous, unlucky, illegitimate (as in bar sinister).
What words are commonly confused with "sinister"?
"sinister" is commonly confused with "sister", "spinster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sinister"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sinister" is /ˈsɪnɪstə/. 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 "sinister"?
From Middle English sinistre (“unlucky”), from Old French senestre, sinistre (“left”), from Latin sinister (“left hand”). 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 "sinister", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sinclair#13,063restless#13,051referral#13,048prolific#13,044

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

suppressed12 variantspraising12 variantsaltering12 variantscoloring12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list