skipper

/ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“skipper” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,220. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,220
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The master of a ship.

Corpus desk

Index EN-skipper · skipper · English

skipper · rank #14,220 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,220
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH skinned

Nearest frequency peer: skinned (-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 “skipper”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “skipper” 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).

skipper vs supper
71% similar
skipper vs sniper
71% similar
skipper vs Skippy
57% similar

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

Key facts for skipper
PropertyValue
Headwordskipper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,220
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “skipper”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).skipperlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “skinned” (#14,219), “slain” (#14,221), “sighted” (#14,218). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “skipper” is #14,220. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around skipper (IPA /ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,220 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    The master of a ship.
  2. 2
    A coach, director, or other leader.
  3. 3
    The captain of a sports team such as football, cricket, rugby or curling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The skipper Mr. Cooke had hired at Far Harbor was a God-fearing man with a luke warm interest in his new billet and employer, and had only been prevailed upon to take charge of the yacht after the offer of an emolument equal to half a year's sea pay of an ensign in the navy.
  2. It is standard practice for search and rescue authorities to ask other vessels in the area to assist. Usually, this is done. The weather on the night of 31 December was too atrocious, and when at 11pm the Coast Guard asked the crabber Ruff & Reddy to head to the scene, its skipper refused, as a skipper has a right to do if he believes conditions to be too…

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

patrón(Español)capitaine(Français)Schiffer(Deutsch)

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.

ksipper2sikpper2skipepr2skiper1skipperr1skippre2skkipper1skpiper2
Edit distance from "skipper"

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"?
"skipper" is spelled S-K-I-P-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "skipper" mean?
As a noun, "skipper" means: The master of a ship.
What words are commonly confused with "skipper"?
"skipper" is commonly confused with "supper", "sniper", "Skippy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "skipper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "skipper" is /ˈskɪp.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "skipper"?
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. 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 "skipper", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

skinned#14,219sighted#14,218Shelley#14,215Sheldon#14,214

Similar misspelling depth

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

shouts9 variantssawyer9 variantsSaturn9 variantsTucson9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list