statesman

/ˈsteɪtsmən/

//ˈsteɪtsmən// noun

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

"statesman" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“statesman” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,921. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,921
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A man who is a leader in national or international affairs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-statesman · statesman · English

statesman · rank #15,921 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,921
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH standings

Nearest frequency peer: standings (-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 “statesman”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “statesman” 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).

statesman vs statesmen
89% similar
statesman vs salesman
78% similar

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

Key facts for statesman
PropertyValue
Headwordstatesman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsteɪtsmən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#15,921
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “statesman”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).statesmanlands 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 “standings” (#15,920), “stink” (#15,922), “stalk” (#15,919). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “statesman” is #15,921. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around statesman (IPA /ˈsteɪtsmən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,921 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for statesman, with forms such as "sattesman", "sstatesman", and "staetsman". 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, "statesmen", "salesman", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From state + -s- + -man, modelled after French homme d'État. The correct English form is statesman, spelled S-T-A-T-E-S-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A man who is a leader in national or international affairs.
  2. 2
    A male political leader who promotes the public good or who is recognized for probity, leadership, or the qualities necessary to govern a state.
  3. 3
    A man who lives on a landed estate; a small landholder.

Etymology

From state + -s- + -man, modelled after French homme d'État.

Synonyms

wealsman

This word in other languages

estadista(Español)homme d'État(Français)Staatsmann(Deutsch)estadista(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sattesman
  • sstatesman
  • staetsman
  • statemsan
  • statesamn
  • statesmann
  • statesmman
  • statesmna
  • statessman
  • statseman
  • stattesman
  • sttaesman
  • sttatesman
  • tsatesman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sattesman2sstatesman1staetsman2statemsan2statesamn2statesmann1statesmman1statesmna2
Edit distance from "statesman"

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 "statesman"?
"statesman" is spelled S-T-A-T-E-S-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsteɪtsmən/.
What does "statesman" mean?
As a noun, "statesman" means: A man who is a leader in national or international affairs.
What words are commonly confused with "statesman"?
"statesman" is commonly confused with "statesmen", "salesman". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "statesman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "statesman" is /ˈsteɪtsmən/. 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 "statesman"?
From state + -s- + -man, modelled after French homme d'État. 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 "statesman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

standings#15,920stabilize#15,917surrounds#15,926symbolism#15,929

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

subcommittee14 variantsvertically14 variantspermitting14 variantsdepiction14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list