supervisor

/ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə(ɹ)/

//ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə(ɹ)// noun

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

"supervisor" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“supervisor” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,749. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,749
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person with the official task of overseeing the work of a person or group, or of other operations and activities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-supervisor · supervisor · English

supervisor · rank #7,749 · 15 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,749
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stat

Nearest frequency peer: stat (-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 “supervisor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “supervisor” 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).

supervisor vs supervisory
91% similar
supervisor vs superior
80% similar
supervisor vs supervise
80% similar

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

Key facts for supervisor
PropertyValue
Headwordsupervisor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə(ɹ)/
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,749
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “supervisor”

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).supervisorlands 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 “stat” (#7,748), “synthetic” (#7,750), “spouse” (#7,747). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “supervisor” is #7,749. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around supervisor (IPA /ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,749 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for supervisor, with forms such as "spuervisor", "ssupervisor", and "sueprvisor". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "supervisory", "superior", "supervise", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since the 15th century C.E.; from Middle English supervisor, supervisour, supervysor, supervysour, from Latin supervīsor, from supervideō, in turn from super + videō. By surface analysis, supervise + -or. The correct English form is supervisor, spelled S-U-P-E-R-V-I-S-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person with the official task of overseeing the work of a person or group, or of other operations and activities.
  2. 2
    A person who monitors someone to make sure they comply with rules or other requirements set for them.
  3. 3
    In certain states, an elected member of the governing body for a county which is called the board of supervisors.
  4. 4
    A process responsible for managing other processes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: superintendent, manager, boss, executive, overseer
  2. Thus, today, even if the objective does seem "goalish," the supervisor assumes the problem inherent in trying to "accomplish" that goal will become clear to the librarian as the action plan evolves […]

Etymology

Attested since the 15th century C.E.; from Middle English supervisor, supervisour, supervysor, supervysour, from Latin supervīsor, from supervideō, in turn from super + videō. By surface analysis, supervise + -or.

This word in other languages

supervisor(Español)superviseur(Français)Aufseher(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • spuervisor
  • ssupervisor
  • sueprvisor
  • superivsor
  • superrvisor
  • superviosr
  • supervisorr
  • supervisro
  • supervissor
  • supervsior
  • supervvisor
  • supevrisor
  • suppervisor
  • suprevisor
  • uspervisor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of supervisor - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

spuervisor2ssupervisor1sueprvisor2superivsor2superrvisor1superviosr2supervisorr1supervisro2
Edit distance from "supervisor"

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 "supervisor"?
"supervisor" is spelled S-U-P-E-R-V-I-S-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə(ɹ)/.
What does "supervisor" mean?
As a noun, "supervisor" means: A person with the official task of overseeing the work of a person or group, or of other operations and activities.
What words are commonly confused with "supervisor"?
"supervisor" is commonly confused with "supervisory", "superior", "supervise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "supervisor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "supervisor" is /ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə(ɹ)/. 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 "supervisor"?
Attested since the 15th century C.E.; from Middle English supervisor, supervisour, supervysor, supervysour, from Latin supervīsor, from supervideō, in turn from super + videō. By surface analysis, supervise + -or. 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 "supervisor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

terrifying#7,753wilderness#7,763automobile#7,772meditation#7,714

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

synthetic15 variantsprosecutor15 variantsbusinessman15 variantssimulation15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list