vicar

/ˈvɪkɚ/

//ˈvɪkɚ// noun

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

"vicar" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vicar” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,990. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,990
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In the Church of England, the priest of a parish, receiving a salary or stipend but not tithes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vicar · vicar · English

vicar · rank #17,990 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,990
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH unheard

Nearest frequency peer: unheard (-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 “vicar”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vicar” 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).

vicar vs vice
60% similar
vicar vs visa
60% similar
vicar vs vita
60% similar

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

Key facts for vicar
PropertyValue
Headwordvicar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɪkɚ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,990
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vicar”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “unheard” (#17,988), “weep” (#17,992), “undone” (#17,987). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vicar” is #17,990. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around vicar (IPA /ˈvɪkɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,990 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for vicar, with forms such as "ivcar", "vciar", and "viacr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "vice", "visa", "vita", 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 vicar, viker, vikyr, vicaire, vicare, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman vikare, vicare, vikaire, vikere and Old French vicaire (“deputy, second in command”), from Latin vicārius (“vicarious, substitute”). The correct English form is vicar, spelled V-I-C-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    In the Church of England, the priest of a parish, receiving a salary or stipend but not tithes.
  2. 2
    In the Roman Catholic and some other churches, a cleric acting as local representative of a higher ranking member of the clergy.
  3. 3
    A person acting on behalf of, or representing, another person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: priest, rector, curate
  2. Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli.

Etymology

From Middle English vicar, viker, vikyr, vicaire, vicare, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman vikare, vicare, vikaire, vikere and Old French vicaire (“deputy, second in command”), from Latin vicārius (“vicarious, substitute”).

This word in other languages

vicario(Español)curé(Français)Vikar(Deutsch)vigário(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivcar
  • vciar
  • viacr
  • vicarr
  • viccar
  • vicra
  • vvicar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vicar - 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.

ivcar2vciar2viacr2vicarr1viccar1vicra2vvicar1
Edit distance from "vicar"

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 "vicar"?
"vicar" is spelled V-I-C-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɪkɚ/.
What does "vicar" mean?
As a noun, "vicar" means: In the Church of England, the priest of a parish, receiving a salary or stipend but not tithes.
What words are commonly confused with "vicar"?
"vicar" is commonly confused with "vice", "visa", "vita". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vicar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vicar" is /ˈvɪkɚ/. 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 "vicar"?
From Middle English vicar, viker, vikyr, vicaire, vicare, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman vikare, vicare, vikaire, vikere and Old French vicaire (“deputy, second in command”), from Latin vicārius (“vicarious, substitute”). 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 "vicar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

welch#17,993woken#17,995Adler#18,002apron#18,015

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

ammonia7 variantsavant7 variantsBaird7 variantscarbs7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list