Cellar or seller?
cellar is a noun meaning “An enclosed underground space, often under a building, used for storage or…”; seller is a noun meaning “Someone who sells; a vendor; a clerk”. They sound the same (/ˈsɛlə/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) seller is about 2.6 times as common as cellar.
What is the difference between cellar and seller?
| cellar | seller | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Meaning | An enclosed underground space, often under a building, used for storage or shelter A wine collection, especially when stored in a cellar To store (something, especially food or wine) in a cellar | Someone who sells; a vendor; a clerk Something which sells |
| Example | The farmhouse has several additions, added over many decades; it has three cellars, and one of them is older than the other two | Alisha was a seller of fine books |
| Forms | cellars | sellers |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛlə/ /ˈsɛləɹ/ | /ˈsɛlə/ /ˈsɛlɚ/ |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words | 10 times per million words |
Sources: cellar and seller in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of cellar and seller
cellar
- 1
An enclosed underground space, often under a building, used for storage or shelter
The farmhouse has several additions, added over many decades; it has three cellars, and one of them is older than the other two
- 2
To store (something, especially food or wine) in a cellar
- 3
salt cellar
- 4
A wine collection, especially when stored in a cellar
The insurance company valued his cellar at $27,000, largely on the strength of his bottles of 1972 Château Hypothetica
- 5
slangLast place in a league or competition; some rank near last place
The Tigers have been in the cellar all year long, and I'm tired of it
- 6
UKUSA basement
Most of my tools and hardware are in the garage, but I keep some tools in the cellar, too, mainly for convenience
seller
- 1
Someone who sells; a vendor; a clerk
Alisha was a seller of fine books
- 2
Something which sells
Two of the books Alisha authored had become big sellers
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, cellar or seller?
cellar appears 4.0 times per million words; seller 10 times per million words.
cellar 4.0 times per million wordsseller 10 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).