spyware

noun

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

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

The verdict

“spyware” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,386. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,386
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Programs that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spyware · spyware · English

spyware · rank #41,386 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,386
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stade

Nearest frequency peer: stade (+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 “spyware”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spyware” 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).

spyware vs spare
71% similar
spyware vs skyward
71% similar

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

Key facts for spyware
PropertyValue
Headwordspyware
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,386
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spyware”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “stade” (#41,387), “Sommer” (#41,384), “solvency” (#41,383). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spyware” is #41,386. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around spyware, anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,386 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Programs that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for spyware, with forms such as "psyware", "sppyware", and "spwyare". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "spare", "skyward", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From spy + -ware. The correct English form is spyware, spelled S-P-Y-W-A-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Programs that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In the end of the 90s we call^([sic]) this software spyware, there was a term for it, and now we don't use this term anymore because most of the software that we use is spyware […]

Etymology

From spy + -ware.

This word in other languages

logiciel espion(Français)Spyware(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psyware
  • sppyware
  • spwyare
  • spyawre
  • spywaer
  • spywarre
  • spywrae
  • spywware
  • spyyware
  • sspyware
  • sypware

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psyware2sppyware1spwyare2spyawre2spywaer2spywarre1spywrae2spywware1
Edit distance from "spyware"

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 "spyware"?
"spyware" is spelled S-P-Y-W-A-R-E.
What does "spyware" mean?
As a noun, "spyware" means: Programs that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user.
What words are commonly confused with "spyware"?
"spyware" is commonly confused with "spare", "skyward". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "spyware"?
From spy + -ware. 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 "spyware", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stepmom#41,389sequins#41,375scrawny#41,372sanding#41,367

Similar misspelling depth

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

Roxbury11 variantsrinsing11 variantsthicken11 variantstwinning11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list