subtype

noun

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

"subtype" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“subtype” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,767. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,767
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A group of specific things within a larger, more general group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-subtype · subtype · English

subtype · rank #36,767 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #36,767
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH subsidised

Nearest frequency peer: subsidised (-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 “subtype”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “subtype” 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).

subtype vs subtle
71% similar

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

Key facts for subtype
PropertyValue
Headwordsubtype
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#36,767
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “subtype”

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).subtypelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “subsidised” (#36,766), “Stallone” (#36,765), “speckled” (#36,764). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “subtype” is #36,767. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around subtype, anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,767 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for subtype, with forms such as "sbutype", "ssubtype", and "subbtype". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "subtle", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sub- + type. The correct English form is subtype, spelled S-U-B-T-Y-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group of specific things within a larger, more general group.
  2. 2
    The data type represented by a subclass.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Highly pathogenic bird flu (HPAI) is of rising concern to epidemiologists. The US National Library of Medicine lists H5N9 as a subtype avian influenza virus.

Etymology

From sub- + type.

This word in other languages

subtipo(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sbutype
  • ssubtype
  • subbtype
  • subtpye
  • subttype
  • subtyep
  • subtyppe
  • subtyype
  • subytpe
  • sutbype
  • usbtype

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sbutype2ssubtype1subbtype1subtpye2subttype1subtyep2subtyppe1subtyype1
Edit distance from "subtype"

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 "subtype"?
"subtype" is spelled S-U-B-T-Y-P-E.
What does "subtype" mean?
As a noun, "subtype" means: A group of specific things within a larger, more general group.
What words are commonly confused with "subtype"?
"subtype" is commonly confused with "subtle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "subtype"?
From sub- + type. 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 "subtype", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Shaolin#36,757Tbilisi#36,777Tierney#36,787topshop#36,792

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Sociedad11 variantsraunchy11 variantsPlunkett11 variantsphoning11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list