strainer

/ˈstɹeɪnɚ/

//ˈstɹeɪnɚ// noun

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

"strainer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“strainer” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,103. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,103
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device through which a liquid is passed for purification, filtering or separation from solid matter; anything (including a screen or a cloth) used to strain a liquid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strainer · strainer · English

strainer · rank #45,103 · 12 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,103
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH straightaway

Nearest frequency peer: straightaway (-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 “strainer”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “strainer” 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).

strainer vs striker
75% similar
strainer vs stranger
75% similar
strainer vs stringer
75% similar

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

Key facts for strainer
PropertyValue
Headwordstrainer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɹeɪnɚ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#45,103
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “strainer”

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).strainerlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “straightaway” (#45,102), “sturt” (#45,104), “SSB” (#45,099). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “strainer” is #45,103. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around strainer (IPA /ˈstɹeɪnɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,103 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for strainer, with forms such as "srtainer", "sstrainer", and "stariner". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "striker", "stranger", "stringer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English strener, streynour, strenyour, equivalent to strain + -er. The correct English form is strainer, spelled S-T-R-A-I-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device through which a liquid is passed for purification, filtering or separation from solid matter; anything (including a screen or a cloth) used to strain a liquid.
  2. 2
    A perforated screen or openwork (usually at the end of a suction pipe of a pump), used to prevent solid bodies from mixing in a liquid stream or flowline.
  3. 3
    Debris in water that blocks the passage of solid objects.
  4. 4
    One who strains.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A strainer is something on the surface of the water that allows water to pass through it but not solid objects, like boats and people. Strainers are likely to consist of fallen trees, old fencing, guardrails […]
  2. An important factor with respect to recurrence [of rectal prolapse] is the fact that many of these patients are chronic strainers.

Etymology

From Middle English strener, streynour, strenyour, equivalent to strain + -er.

Synonyms

sievesiletemse

This word in other languages

colador(Español)filtre(Français)Sieb(Deutsch)peneira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtainer
  • sstrainer
  • stariner
  • straienr
  • strainerr
  • strainner
  • strainre
  • stranier
  • strianer
  • strrainer
  • sttrainer
  • tsrainer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of strainer - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

srtainer2sstrainer1stariner2straienr2strainerr1strainner1strainre2stranier2
Edit distance from "strainer"

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 "strainer"?
"strainer" is spelled S-T-R-A-I-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹeɪnɚ/.
What does "strainer" mean?
As a noun, "strainer" means: A device through which a liquid is passed for purification, filtering or separation from solid matter; anything (including a screen or a cloth) used to strain a liquid.
What words are commonly confused with "strainer"?
"strainer" is commonly confused with "striker", "stranger", "stringer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strainer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strainer" is /ˈstɹeɪnɚ/. 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 "strainer"?
From Middle English strener, streynour, strenyour, equivalent to strain + -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 "strainer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spreader#45,097surefire#45,109shallows#45,081trawling#45,132

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

seafront12 variantsrounders12 variantsupmarket12 variantswarfarin12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list