zither
/ˈzɪ.ðə/
"zither" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“zither” is uncommon English (frequency #94,468 among 2,810 “Z” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #94,468
- frequency rank, English
- 2,810
- “Z” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A musical instrument consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings placed on a horizontal surface, played with a plectrum or fingertips.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | zither |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈzɪ.ðə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #94,468 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “zither” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
zither is uncommon English at frequency #94,468 among 2,810 “Z” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈzɪ.ðə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for zither in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Zither, from Old High German zithara, from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára, “a kind of harp”). Doublet of cithara, cither, and guitar. The correct English form is zither, spelled Z-I-T-H-E-R.
Definition
- 1A musical instrument consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings placed on a horizontal surface, played with a plectrum or fingertips.
- 2Related or similar instruments in other cultures, such as the Chinese guqin or Norwegian harpeleik; especially any chordophone without a neck, and with strings that pass over the body.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Zither, from Old High German zithara, from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára, “a kind of harp”). Doublet of cithara, cither, and guitar.
This word in other languages
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 "zither"?
What does "zither" mean?
How do you pronounce "zither"?
What is the origin of the word "zither"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “zither”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is Z-I-T-H-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈzɪ.ðə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.