straggler
/ˈstɹæɡlə/
"straggler" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“straggler” is an uncommon English word, ranked #99,903 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #99,903
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who goes against the direct or proper course, or from the company to which they belong.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | straggler |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈstɹæɡlə/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #99,903 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “straggler” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for straggler is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstɹæɡlə/. Corpus data places it at rank #99,903 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for straggler in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From straggle + -er. The correct English form is straggler, spelled S-T-R-A-G-G-L-E-R.
Definition
- 1Someone who goes against the direct or proper course, or from the company to which they belong.
- 2One who falls behind the rest, for example in a race.
- 3One who roams without any settled direction.
- 4A migratory animal found away from its usual range.
- 5A roving vagabond.
- 6Something that shoots, or spreads out, beyond the rest, or too far; an exuberant growth.
- 7Something that stands alone or by itself.
Etymology
From straggle + -er.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “straggler”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-R-A-G-G-L-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈstɹæɡlə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.