sniper

/ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/

//ˈsnaɪ.pɚ// noun

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

"sniper" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sniper” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,770. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,770
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person using long-range small arms for precise attacks from a concealed position.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sniper · sniper · English

sniper · rank #10,770 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,770
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shrink

Nearest frequency peer: shrink (-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 “sniper”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sniper” 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).

sniper vs super
67% similar
sniper vs swipe
67% similar
sniper vs stipe
67% similar

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

Key facts for sniper
PropertyValue
Headwordsniper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,770
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sniper”

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).sniperlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “shrink” (#10,769), “solitary” (#10,771), “shrine” (#10,768). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sniper” is #10,770. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around sniper (IPA /ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,770 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sniper, with forms such as "nsiper", "sinper", and "sniepr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "super", "swipe", "stipe", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From snipe + -er. The correct English form is sniper, spelled S-N-I-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person using long-range small arms for precise attacks from a concealed position.
  2. 2
    A sniper rifle.
  3. 3
    Any attacker using a non-contact weapon against a specific target from a concealed position.
  4. 4
    One who shoots from a concealed position.
  5. 5
    One who criticizes; a person who frequently snipes at others.
  6. 6
    A hunter of snipe (the bird).
  7. 7
    A player who specializes in scoring goals.
  8. 8
    A person or automated process set up by a person who or which attempts to win an online auction by placing a bid only seconds before the auction ends, leaving no time for other bidders to respond

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The sniper shot him in the head.
  2. The British, having cleared the open field, now faced the problem of advancing through the trees into the sniper fire of several hundred Virginia militia.

Etymology

From snipe + -er.

This word in other languages

francotirador(Español)franc-tireur(Français)Scharfschütze(Deutsch)atirador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nsiper
  • sinper
  • sniepr
  • sniperr
  • snipper
  • snipre
  • snniper
  • snpier
  • ssniper

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sniper - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nsiper2sinper2sniepr2sniperr1snipper1snipre2snniper1snpier2
Edit distance from "sniper"

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 "sniper"?
"sniper" is spelled S-N-I-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/.
What does "sniper" mean?
As a noun, "sniper" means: A person using long-range small arms for precise attacks from a concealed position.
What words are commonly confused with "sniper"?
"sniper" is commonly confused with "super", "swipe", "stipe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sniper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sniper" is /ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/. 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 "sniper"?
From snipe + -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 "sniper", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shrink#10,769shrine#10,768sorrow#10,772Sutton#10,776

Similar misspelling depth

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

sacked9 variantsThames9 variantsthrive9 variantsrevolt9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list