skeleton

/ˈskɛlɪtn/

//ˈskɛlɪtn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“skeleton” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,671. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,671
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The system that provides support to an organism, internal and made up of bones and cartilage in vertebrates, external in some other animals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-skeleton · skeleton · English

skeleton · rank #9,671 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,671
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SIM

Nearest frequency peer: SIM (-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 “skeleton”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “skeleton” 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).

skeleton vs Skelton
75% similar
skeleton vs Shelton
63% similar
skeleton vs skeletal
75% similar

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

Key facts for skeleton
PropertyValue
Headwordskeleton
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskɛlɪtn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,671
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “skeleton”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).skeletonlands 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 “SIM” (#9,670), “spicy” (#9,672), “seize” (#9,669). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “skeleton” is #9,671. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around skeleton (IPA /ˈskɛlɪtn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,671 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for skeleton, with forms such as "kseleton", "sekleton", and "skeelton". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Skelton", "Shelton", "skeletal", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin sceleton, from Ancient Greek σκελετόν (skeletón), the neuter of σκελετός (skeletós, “dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy”), from σκέλλω (skéllō, “dry, dry up, make dry, parch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, withe… The correct English form is skeleton, spelled S-K-E-L-E-T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The system that provides support to an organism, internal and made up of bones and cartilage in vertebrates, external in some other animals.
  2. 2
    An anthropomorphic representation of a skeleton.
  3. 3
    A very thin person.
  4. 4
    The central core of something that gives shape to the entire structure.
  5. 5
    A frame that provides support to a building or other construction.
  6. 6
    A client-helper procedure that communicates with a stub.
  7. 7
    The vertices and edges of a polyhedron, taken collectively.
  8. 8
    A very thin form of light-faced type.
  9. 9
    A minimum or bare essentials.
  10. 10
    The network of veins in a leaf.
  11. 11
    Clipping of skeleton in the closet (“a shameful secret”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At the foot of a pretty big pine, and involved in a green creeper, which had even partly lifted some of the smaller bones, a human skeleton lay, with a few shreds of clothing, on the ground.
  2. She dressed up as a skeleton for Halloween.

Etymology

From New Latin sceleton, from Ancient Greek σκελετόν (skeletón), the neuter of σκελετός (skeletós, “dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy”), from σκέλλω (skéllō, “dry, dry up, make dry, parch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to parch, wither”); compare Ancient Greek σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”).

Synonyms

ottomyskellingtonthin personbackboneskeleton

This word in other languages

esqueleto(Español)squelette(Français)Skelett(Deutsch)esqueleto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kseleton
  • sekleton
  • skeelton
  • skeleotn
  • skeletno
  • skeletonn
  • skeletton
  • skelleton
  • skelteon
  • skkeleton
  • skleeton
  • sskeleton

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of skeleton - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

kseleton2sekleton2skeelton2skeleotn2skeletno2skeletonn1skeletton1skelleton1
Edit distance from "skeleton"

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 "skeleton"?
"skeleton" is spelled S-K-E-L-E-T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɛlɪtn/.
What does "skeleton" mean?
As a noun, "skeleton" means: The system that provides support to an organism, internal and made up of bones and cartilage in vertebrates, external in some other animals.
What words are commonly confused with "skeleton"?
"skeleton" is commonly confused with "Skelton", "Shelton", "skeletal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skeleton"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skeleton" is /ˈskɛlɪtn/. 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 "skeleton"?
From New Latin sceleton, from Ancient Greek σκελετόν (skeletón), the neuter of σκελετός (skeletós, “dried up, withered, dried body, parched, mummy”), from σκέλλω (skéllō, “dry, dry up, make dry, parch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- (“to pa... 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 "skeleton", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

retiring#9,660tutorial#9,682restrict#9,659vicinity#9,689

Similar misspelling depth

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

psychic12 variantswardrobe12 variantsanalyses12 variantsassisting12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list