spider

/ˈspaɪ̯də/

//ˈspaɪ̯də// noun

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

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

The verdict

“spider” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,715 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,715
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

spider vs spite
67% similar
spider vs spike
67% similar
spider vs spine
67% similar

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

Key facts for spider
PropertyValue
Headwordspider
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspaɪ̯də/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,715
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “spider” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). spider lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for spider is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈspaɪ̯də/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,715 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 20 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 spider, with forms such as "psider", "sipder", and "spdier". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "spite", "spike", "spine", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English spiþre, spydyr, spider, spiþer, from Old English spīþra (“spider”), from Proto-West Germanic *spinþrijō, from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (“to spin”). Mostly displaced attercop (“spider, unpleasant person”), now a dialectal term. Compare ty… The correct English form is spider, spelled S-P-I-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey.
  2. 2
    A program which follows links on the World Wide Web in order to gather information.
  3. 3
    A float (drink) made by mixing ice-cream and a soda or fizzy drink (such as lemonade).
  4. 4
    An alcoholic drink made with brandy and lemonade or ginger beer.
  5. 5
    A spindly person.
  6. 6
    A man who persistently approaches or accosts a woman in a public social setting, particularly in a bar.
  7. 7
    A stick with a convex arch-shaped notched head used to support the cue when the cue ball is out of reach at normal extension.
  8. 8
    A cast-iron frying pan with three legs, once common in open-hearth cookery.
  9. 9
    Implement for moving food in and out of hot oil for deep frying, with a circular metal mesh attached to a long handle; a spider skimmer
  10. 10
    A part of a crank, to which the chainrings are attached.
  11. 11
    Heroin.
  12. 12
    Part of a resonator instrument that transmits string vibrations from the bridge to a resonator cone at multiple points.
  13. 13
    A skeleton or frame with radiating arms or members, often connected by crosspieces, such as a casting forming the hub and spokes to which the rim of a fly wheel or large gear is bolted; the body of a piston head; or a frame for strengthening a core or mould for a casting.
  14. 14
    A soft-hackle fly.
  15. 15
    The network of wires separating the areas of a dartboard.
  16. 16
    A spider graph or spider tree.
  17. 17
    A type of light phaeton.
  18. 18
    A support for a camera tripod, preventing it from sliding.
  19. 19
    A competition in which several participants are spread evenly around the edges of the green, who all make one bowl towards the central jack at the same time; the winner being the person whose bowl ends up closest to the jack.
  20. 20
    A bit for turning fasteners with 8-pointed heads.

Etymology

From Middle English spiþre, spydyr, spider, spiþer, from Old English spīþra (“spider”), from Proto-West Germanic *spinþrijō, from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (“to spin”). Mostly displaced attercop (“spider, unpleasant person”), now a dialectal term. Compare typologically Proto-Slavic *mězgyrь (whence Russian мизги́рь (mizgírʹ)) (akin to Latvian mežģīt), Turkish örümcek (akin to örmek).

This word in other languages

araña(Español)araignée(Français)Spinne(Deutsch)aranha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: psider,sipder,spdier,spidder,spiderr,spidre,spiedr,sppider,sspider

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psider2sipder2spdier2spidder1spiderr1spidre2spiedr2sppider1
Edit distance from "spider"

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 "spider"?
"spider" is spelled S-P-I-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspaɪ̯də/.
What does "spider" mean?
As a noun, "spider" means: Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey.
What words are commonly confused with "spider"?
"spider" is commonly confused with "spite", "spike", "spine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spider"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spider" is /ˈspaɪ̯də/. 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 "spider"?
From Middle English spiþre, spydyr, spider, spiþer, from Old English spīþra (“spider”), from Proto-West Germanic *spinþrijō, from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (“to spin”). Mostly displaced attercop (“spider, unpleasant person”), now a dialectal term. ... 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.

Using “spider”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-I-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈspaɪ̯də/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “spite” - see the side-by-side comparison. spider vs spite
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list