skipper
/ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/
"skipper" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“skipper” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,220 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,220
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 16
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The master of a ship.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | skipper |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #14,220 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 16 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “skipper” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for skipper is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,220 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for skipper, with forms such as "ksipper", "sikpper", and "skipepr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "supper", "sniper", "Skippy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English skippere, skyppere, scippere, borrowed from Middle Dutch scipper, schipper, from Old Dutch *skipāri, from Proto-Germanic *skipārijaz. Piecewise doublet of shipper, from ship + -er. The correct English form is skipper, spelled S-K-I-P-P-E-R.
Definition
- 1The master of a ship.
- 2A coach, director, or other leader.
- 3The captain of a sports team such as football, cricket, rugby or curling.
Etymology
From Middle English skippere, skyppere, scippere, borrowed from Middle Dutch scipper, schipper, from Old Dutch *skipāri, from Proto-Germanic *skipārijaz. Piecewise doublet of shipper, from ship + -er.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ksipper,sikpper,skipepr,skiper,skipperr,skippre,skkipper,skpiper,sskipper
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of skipper - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "skipper"?
What does "skipper" mean?
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Using “skipper”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-K-I-P-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “supper” - see the side-by-side comparison. skipper vs supper
- 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.