suitor

/ˈsutɚ/

//ˈsutɚ// noun

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

"suitor" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“suitor” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,852 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#29,852
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who pursues someone, especially a woman, for a romantic relationship or marriage; a wooer; one who falls in love with or courts someone.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

suitor vs suits
67% similar
suitor vs Sutton
50% similar
suitor vs Sutter
50% similar

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

Key facts for suitor
PropertyValue
Headwordsuitor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsutɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#29,852
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “suitor” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). suitor lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for suitor is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsutɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,852 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for suitor, with forms such as "siutor", "ssuitor", and "suiotr". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "suits", "Sutton", "Sutter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sutour, from Anglo-Norman suytour, seuter, from Late Latin secutor (“follower, pursuer”). The correct English form is suitor, spelled S-U-I-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who pursues someone, especially a woman, for a romantic relationship or marriage; a wooer; one who falls in love with or courts someone.
  2. 2
    A person or organization that expresses an interest in working with, or taking over, another.
  3. 3
    A party to a suit or litigation.
  4. 4
    One who sues, petitions, solicits, or entreats; a petitioner.

Etymology

From Middle English sutour, from Anglo-Norman suytour, seuter, from Late Latin secutor (“follower, pursuer”).

This word in other languages

pretendiente(Español)plaideur(Français)Freier(Deutsch)litigante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: siutor,ssuitor,suiotr,suitorr,suitro,suittor,sutior,usitor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

siutor2ssuitor1suiotr2suitorr1suitro2suittor1sutior2usitor2
Edit distance from "suitor"

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 "suitor"?
"suitor" is spelled S-U-I-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsutɚ/.
What does "suitor" mean?
As a noun, "suitor" means: One who pursues someone, especially a woman, for a romantic relationship or marriage; a wooer; one who falls in love with or courts someone.
What words are commonly confused with "suitor"?
"suitor" is commonly confused with "suits", "Sutton", "Sutter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suitor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suitor" is /ˈsutɚ/. 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 "suitor"?
From Middle English sutour, from Anglo-Norman suytour, seuter, from Late Latin secutor (“follower, pursuer”). 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.

Using “suitor”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-I-T-O-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsutɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “suits” - see the side-by-side comparison. suitor vs suits
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list