Satan or satin?
satan is a noun meaning “A demon follower of Satan (principal evil spirit); a fallen angel”; satin is a noun meaning “A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull…”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) satan is about 3.5 times as common as satin.
What is the difference between satan and satin?
| satan | satin | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun, adjective, verb |
| Meaning | A demon follower of Satan (principal evil spirit); a fallen angel Anything that causes destruction or is viewed as evil | A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen) Semigloss To make (paper, silver, etc.) smooth and glossy like satin |
| Example | none recorded | Ibn Batuta informs us that a rich silk texture made here was called Zaitûniya; and there can be little doubt that this is the real origin… |
| Forms | satans | satins |
| Pronunciation | /ˈseɪ.tən/ /ˈseɪ.tn̩/ [ˈseɪ.ʔn̩] | /ˈsæt.ɪn/ [ˈsæt.n̩] [ˈsæʔ.n̩] |
| In writing | 8.5 times per million words | 2.5 times per million words |
Sources: satan and satin 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 satan and satin
satan
- 1
A demon follower of Satan (principal evil spirit); a fallen angel
- 2
Alternative form of Satan (especially in the sense "a demon follower of Satan; a fallen angel")
- 3
Anything that causes destruction or is viewed as evil
satin
- 1
A cloth woven from silk, nylon or polyester with a glossy surface and a dull back. (The same weaving technique applied to cotton produces cloth termed sateen)
Ibn Batuta informs us that a rich silk texture made here was called Zaitûniya; and there can be little doubt that this is the real origin of our word Satin,–Zettani in mediæval…
- 2
Semigloss
satin paint
- 3
To make (paper, silver, etc.) smooth and glossy like satin
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, satan or satin?
satan appears 8.5 times per million words; satin 2.5 times per million words.
satan 8.5 times per million wordssatin 2.5 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).