sitter

/ˈsɪtə/

//ˈsɪtə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sitter” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,100. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,100
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who sits, e.g. for a portrait.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sitter · sitter · English

sitter · rank #23,100 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,100
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shrunk

Nearest frequency peer: shrunk (-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 “sitter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sitter” 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).

sitter vs steer
67% similar
sitter vs slater
67% similar
sitter vs skater
67% similar

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

Key facts for sitter
PropertyValue
Headwordsitter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪtə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,100
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sitter”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sitterlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shrunk” (#23,099), “slant” (#23,102), “shelling” (#23,097). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sitter” is #23,100. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sitter (IPA /ˈsɪtə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,100 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sitter, with forms such as "istter", "siter", and "sitetr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "steer", "slater", "skater", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sitter, sittere, syttare, equivalent to sit + -er. The correct English form is sitter, spelled S-I-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who sits, e.g. for a portrait.
  2. 2
    One employed to watch or tend something; a babysitter, housesitter, petsitter, etc.
  3. 3
    A sitting room.
  4. 4
    A participant in a séance.
  5. 5
    A broody hen.
  6. 6
    A very easy scoring chance.
  7. 7
    Someone who accompanies a person who is taking a psychedelic drug, to provide reassurance in case of a bad trip.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The photograph caused a stir last week because it was shortlisted for the National Portrait Gallery’s prestigious Taylor Wessing prize, despite the rule that “all photographs must have been taken by the entrant from life and with a living sitter”. However realistic Erica may be, and to me she looks more like a sex doll than a real person, she was certainl…
  2. It's always such a pain to get a sitter on short notice.

Etymology

From Middle English sitter, sittere, syttare, equivalent to sit + -er.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • istter
  • siter
  • sitetr
  • sitterr
  • sittre
  • ssitter
  • stiter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

istter2siter1sitetr2sitterr1sittre2ssitter1stiter2
Edit distance from "sitter"

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 "sitter"?
"sitter" is spelled S-I-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪtə/.
What does "sitter" mean?
As a noun, "sitter" means: Someone who sits, e.g. for a portrait.
What words are commonly confused with "sitter"?
"sitter" is commonly confused with "steer", "slater", "skater". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sitter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sitter" is /ˈsɪtə/. 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 "sitter"?
From Middle English sitter, sittere, syttare, equivalent to sit + -er. 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 "sitter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shrunk#23,099shaggy#23,096soothe#23,109Rhinos#23,088

Similar misspelling depth

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

samba7 variantsTexan7 variantsplaya7 variantstulip7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list