subtle
/ˈsʌtl̩/
"subtle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“subtle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,301. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #6,301
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Senses relating to tangible things.
Corpus desk
Index EN-subtle · subtle · English
subtle · rank #6,301 · 9 variants · 12 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #6,301
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 54,294
- PHOTO-FINISH tastes
Nearest frequency peer: tastes (+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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “subtle”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- starring
starring
93,702 corpus weight
- subtle
subtle
93,700 corpus weight
- tastes
tastes
93,699 corpus weight
- throws
throws
93,698 corpus weight
- toll
toll
93,697 corpus weight
- tooth
tooth
93,696 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “subtle” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | subtle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈsʌtl̩/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #6,301 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “subtle” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around subtle (IPA /ˈsʌtl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,301 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for subtle, with forms such as "sbutle", "ssubtle", and "subbtle". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "suite", "subtly", "supple", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo… The correct English form is subtle, spelled S-U-B-T-L-E.
Definition
- 1Senses relating to tangible things.
- 2Senses relating to tangible things.
- 3Senses relating to tangible things.
- 4Senses relating to tangible things.
- 5Senses relating to tangible things.
- 6Senses relating to tangible things.
- 7Senses relating to tangible things.
- 8Senses relating to intangible things.
- 9Senses relating to intangible things.
- 10Senses relating to intangible things.
- 11Senses relating to intangible things.
- 12Senses relating to intangible things.
- 13Senses relating to intangible things.
- 14Senses relating to intangible things.
- 15Senses relating to intangible things.
- 16Senses relating to intangible things.
- 17Senses relating to intangible things.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how subtle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The mighty Magnet from the Center darts / This ſtrong, tho' ſubtile Force, thro' all the Parts: / Its active Rays ejaculated thence, / Irradiate all the wide Circumference.
The difference between the tones is subtle, but you can hear it if you listen carefully.
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“of a person, the mind, etc.: clever, ingenious, penetrating; cunning, sly; insidious; delicate, fine; not dense, light, thin; finely powdered; narrow, slender; etc.”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman sotel, subtil, sutil, Middle French soutil, subtil, sutil, and Old French sotil, soutil, subtil, sutil (“of an object: skilfully designed or made; delicate, fine; slender, thin; of an intangible thing: difficult to understand; of a person: discerning, shrewd; devious, sly; etc.”) (modern French subtil), from Latin subtīlis (“of texture: delicate, fine; slender, thin; accurate, keen; having fine judgment; etc.”), from sub (“below, under”) + tēla (“warp (threads running lengthwise in a loom); web”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tetḱ- (“to create, produce; to cut, hew”), from *teḱ- (“to beget, sire”)). The word displaced Old English smēag (literally “creeping”). The modern and Middle English (and French) spellings with -b- are influenced by Latin subtīlis; the letter was probably never pronounced. The noun is derived from Middle English sotil, soubtil, subtil (“wise person; sophisticated people collectively”), from the adjective.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- sbutle
- ssubtle
- subbtle
- sublte
- subtel
- subtlle
- subttle
- sutble
- usbtle
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of subtle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "subtle", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
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.