slender

/ˈslɛndə/

//ˈslɛndə// adj

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

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

The verdict

“slender” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,238. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,238
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Thin; slim.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slender · slender · English

slender · rank #13,238 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,238
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sloppy

Nearest frequency peer: sloppy (+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 “slender”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slender” 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).

slender vs slider
71% similar
slender vs Spencer
57% similar
slender vs spender
86% similar

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

Key facts for slender
PropertyValue
Headwordslender
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈslɛndə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,238
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slender”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).slenderlands 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 “sloppy” (#13,239), “sermon” (#13,235), “Snapchat” (#13,241). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slender” is #13,238. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around slender (IPA /ˈslɛndə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,238 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for slender, with forms such as "lsender", "selnder", and "sledner". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "slider", "Spencer", "spender", 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 slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Middle Dutch slinder (“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz (“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian Schlender… The correct English form is slender, spelled S-L-E-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Thin; slim.
  2. 2
    Meagre; deficient.
  3. 3
    Palatalized.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A rod is a long slender pole used for angling.
  2. She is very slender.

Etymology

From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Middle Dutch slinder (“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz (“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian Schlenderling (“that which dangles”), German schlendern (“to saunter, stroll”), Dutch slidderen, slinderen (“to wriggle, creep like a serpent”), Low German slindern (“to slide on ice”). More at slide, slither.

Synonyms

lithesveltewillowyinsufficientscarcesparseinadequategauntgracilelankleanleansomelithesomelissomerangysleekslenderslightslimslinkyswacksylphlike

Antonyms

broadheavylargeobeseoverweightstrapping

This word in other languages

esbelto(Español)svelte(Français)schlank(Deutsch)esbelto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsender
  • selnder
  • sledner
  • slendder
  • slenderr
  • slendre
  • slenedr
  • slennder
  • sllender
  • slneder
  • sslender

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lsender2selnder2sledner2slendder1slenderr1slendre2slenedr2slennder1
Edit distance from "slender"

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 "slender"?
"slender" is spelled S-L-E-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslɛndə/.
What does "slender" mean?
As an adjective, "slender" means: Thin; slim.
What words are commonly confused with "slender"?
"slender" is commonly confused with "slider", "Spencer", "spender". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slender"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slender" is /ˈslɛndə/. 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 "slender"?
From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Middle Dutch slinder (“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic *slindraz (“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian... 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 "slender", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

surreal#13,252Raleigh#13,222Tiffany#13,255titanic#13,256

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

societal11 variantsreadiness11 variantstyphoon11 variantsoverhaul11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list