solitary

/ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/

//ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi// noun

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

"solitary" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“solitary” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,771. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,771
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchorite, hermit or recluse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-solitary · solitary · English

solitary · rank #10,771 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,771
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sniper

Nearest frequency peer: sniper (-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 “solitary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “solitary” 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).

solitary vs sanitary
75% similar
solitary vs salivary
75% similar
solitary vs solitaire
78% similar

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

Key facts for solitary
PropertyValue
Headwordsolitary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,771
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “solitary”

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).solitarylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sniper” (#10,770), “sorrow” (#10,772), “shrink” (#10,769). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “solitary” is #10,771. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around solitary (IPA /ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,771 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for solitary, with forms such as "oslitary", "sloitary", and "soiltary". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "sanitary", "salivary", "solitaire", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire. The correct English form is solitary, spelled S-O-L-I-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchorite, hermit or recluse.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of solitary confinement.
  3. 3
    The state of being solitary; solitude

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He brooded and intrigued fantastically. He was becoming one of the big-time solitaries. And he wasn't meant to be a solitary. He was meant to be in active life, a social creature.
  2. Tilling my own grave to keep me level Jam another dragon down the hole Digging to the rhythm and the echo of a solitary siren One that pushes me along and leaves me so Desperate and ravenous

Etymology

From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire.

This word in other languages

solitario(Español)solitaire(Français)Einsiedler(Deutsch)solitário(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oslitary
  • sloitary
  • soiltary
  • soliatry
  • solitarry
  • solitaryy
  • solitayr
  • solitray
  • solittary
  • sollitary
  • soltiary
  • ssolitary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oslitary2sloitary2soiltary2soliatry2solitarry1solitaryy1solitayr2solitray2
Edit distance from "solitary"

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 "solitary"?
"solitary" is spelled S-O-L-I-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/.
What does "solitary" mean?
As a noun, "solitary" means: One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchorite, hermit or recluse.
What words are commonly confused with "solitary"?
"solitary" is commonly confused with "sanitary", "salivary", "solitaire". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "solitary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "solitary" is /ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/. 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 "solitary"?
From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire. 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 "solitary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sherlock#10,766retarded#10,755resemble#10,754warranty#10,796

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Schmidt12 variantsrightly12 variantsZimbabwe12 variantsmetaphor12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list