skilled

/skɪld/

//skɪld// adj

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

"skilled" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“skilled” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,841. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,841
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having or showing skill; skillful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-skilled · skilled · English

skilled · rank #5,841 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,841
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH ski

Nearest frequency peer: ski (-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 “skilled”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “skilled” 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).

skilled vs skills
71% similar
skilled vs smiled
71% similar
skilled vs soiled
71% similar

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

Key facts for skilled
PropertyValue
Headwordskilled
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/skɪld/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,841
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “skilled”

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).skilledlands 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 “ski” (#5,840), “sterling” (#5,842), “sexually” (#5,839). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “skilled” is #5,841. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around skilled (IPA /skɪld/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,841 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for skilled, with forms such as "ksilled", "siklled", and "skiled". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "skills", "smiled", "soiled", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From skill (noun) + -ed. The correct English form is skilled, spelled S-K-I-L-L-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having or showing skill; skillful.
  2. 2
    Requiring special abilities or training.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the Ming Dynasty, a man named Zhang Weiyan in Jiangyin, of Jiangsu Province, was a skilled writer. He was quite well-known in his region.
  2. The minimum hourly wage for construction workers has increased to NOK 250,30 per hour for skilled workers and NOK 226,90 for unskilled workers, with an additional rate of NOK 235,80 for unskilled workers with at least one year’s experience in the industry.

Etymology

From skill (noun) + -ed.

Synonyms

ableartfulhabileaccomplishedadeptadroitaptcapablecompetentconsummateconversantcrackcraftydeftdexterousexpertfacilefluentgainhandymaestrolikemasterfulmasterlikemasterlymasterousprofessionalproficientqualifiedquickreadyskilledskillfulthoroughbredtightpracticedversed

Antonyms

amateurishbunglingclumsyinaptincapableincompetentineptinexpertmaladroitunableunprofessionalunqualifiedunskilledunskillful

This word in other languages

hábil(Español)habile(Français)geschickt(Deutsch)hábil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ksilled
  • siklled
  • skiled
  • skileld
  • skillde
  • skilledd
  • skkilled
  • skliled
  • sskilled

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ksilled2siklled2skiled1skileld2skillde2skilledd1skkilled1skliled2
Edit distance from "skilled"

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 "skilled"?
"skilled" is spelled S-K-I-L-L-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /skɪld/.
What does "skilled" mean?
As an adjective, "skilled" means: Having or showing skill; skillful.
What words are commonly confused with "skilled"?
"skilled" is commonly confused with "skills", "smiled", "soiled". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skilled"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skilled" is /skɪld/. 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 "skilled"?
From skill (noun) + -ed. 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 "skilled", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

surgeon#5,844retreat#5,833washing#5,850precise#5,825

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Stuart9 variantsplayoff9 variantsNathan9 variantscolony9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list