straggler

/ˈstɹæɡlə/

//ˈstɹæɡlə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“straggler” is uncommon English (frequency #99,903 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,903
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who goes against the direct or proper course, or from the company to which they belong.

Corpus desk

Index EN-straggler · straggler · English

straggler · rank #99,903 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #99,903
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stylo

Nearest frequency peer: stylo (+4 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.

Long-tail ranks near “straggler”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “straggler” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for straggler
PropertyValue
Headwordstraggler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɹæɡlə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#99,903
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “straggler” in English

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).stragglerfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “stylo” (#99,907), “Steadicam” (#99,898), “subterminal” (#99,908). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “straggler” is #99,903. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

straggler is uncommon English at frequency #99,903 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈstɹæɡlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    Someone who goes against the direct or proper course, or from the company to which they belong.
  2. 2
    One who falls behind the rest, for example in a race.
  3. 3
    One who roams without any settled direction.
  4. 4
    A migratory animal found away from its usual range.
  5. 5
    A roving vagabond.
  6. 6
    Something that shoots, or spreads out, beyond the rest, or too far; an exuberant growth.
  7. 7
    Something that stands alone or by itself.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She recounted her life in pre-World War II Eastern Europe and how a ragtag band of Red Army stragglers, escaped prisoners of war and Jewish and gentile Resistance fighters — including some women — harassed the Germans behind the Wehrmacht’s front lines in the forests and swamps of what is now Belarus.
  2. This isn't the 1970s, when the UK stood out as the European straggler.

Etymology

From straggle + -er.

This word in other languages

rezagado(Español)traînard(Français)Nachzügler(Deutsch)desgarrado(Português)

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 "straggler"?
"straggler" is spelled S-T-R-A-G-G-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹæɡlə/.
What does "straggler" mean?
As a noun, "straggler" means: Someone who goes against the direct or proper course, or from the company to which they belong.
How do you pronounce "straggler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "straggler" is /ˈstɹæɡlə/. 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 "straggler"?
From straggle + -er. 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 "straggler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Steadicam#99,898supermoon#99,912Szymanski#99,918spearfish#99,886

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list