swindle

/ˈswɪnd(ə)l/

//ˈswɪnd(ə)l// verb

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

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

The verdict

“swindle” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,401. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,401
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To defraud.

Corpus desk

Index EN-swindle · swindle · English

swindle · rank #43,401 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,401
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH surmise

Nearest frequency peer: surmise (-2 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 “swindle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “swindle” 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).

swindle vs swine
71% similar
swindle vs Swindon
57% similar
swindle vs single
71% similar

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

Key facts for swindle
PropertyValue
Headwordswindle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈswɪnd(ə)l/
Letters7
Frequency rank#43,401
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “swindle”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).swindlelands 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 “surmise” (#43,399), “swordfish” (#43,403), “strove” (#43,398). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “swindle” is #43,401. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around swindle (IPA /ˈswɪnd(ə)l/), averb. Corpus frequency is #43,401 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for swindle, with forms such as "siwndle", "sswindle", and "swidnle". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "swine", "Swindon", "single", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler, from German schwindeln, from Middle High German swindeln, swindelen, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of the verb swintan, from Proto-West Germanic *swindan (“to diminish”). See also Modern … The correct English form is swindle, spelled S-W-I-N-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To defraud.
  2. 2
    To obtain (money or property) by fraudulent or deceitful methods.
  3. 3
    For a player in a losing position to play a clever move that provokes an error from the opponent, thus achieving a win or a draw.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The two men swindled the company out of $160,000.
  2. Such Nations cannot have a King to command them; can only have this or the other scandalous swindling Copper Captain, constitutional Gilt Mountebank, or other the like unsalutary entity by way of King; and the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children in a frightful and tragical manner, little noticed in the Penny Newspapers and Periodical Literat…

Etymology

Back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler, from German schwindeln, from Middle High German swindeln, swindelen, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of the verb swintan, from Proto-West Germanic *swindan (“to diminish”). See also Modern German schwindeln, Danish svindel and svindle, Dutch zwindelen and zwendelen, Yiddish שווינדל (shvindl), Low German swinneln, Middle English swinden (“to languish, waste away”).

Synonyms

be sold a pupswizz

This word in other languages

estafar(Español)escroquer(Français)betrügen(Deutsch)trapacear(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • siwndle
  • sswindle
  • swidnle
  • swinddle
  • swindel
  • swindlle
  • swinlde
  • swinndle
  • swnidle
  • swwindle
  • wsindle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of swindle - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

siwndle2sswindle1swidnle2swinddle1swindel2swindlle1swinlde2swinndle1
Edit distance from "swindle"

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 "swindle"?
"swindle" is spelled S-W-I-N-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈswɪnd(ə)l/.
What does "swindle" mean?
As a verb, "swindle" means: To defraud.
What words are commonly confused with "swindle"?
"swindle" is commonly confused with "swine", "Swindon", "single". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "swindle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "swindle" is /ˈswɪnd(ə)l/. 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 "swindle"?
Back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler, from German schwindeln, from Middle High German swindeln, swindelen, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of the verb swintan, from Proto-West Germanic *swindan (“to diminish”). See al... 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 "swindle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

surmise#43,399stratum#43,396starlet#43,388thawing#43,414

Similar misspelling depth

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

thinnest11 variantsspastic11 variantsslugging11 variantssinglet11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list