amaranth

/ˈæməɹænθ/

//ˈæməɹænθ// noun

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

"amaranth" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“amaranth” is uncommon English (frequency #60,615 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,615
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An imaginary flower that does not wither.

Corpus desk

Index EN-amaranth · amaranth · English

amaranth · rank #60,615 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,615
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Altrincham

Nearest frequency peer: Altrincham (-1 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.

Long-tail ranks near “amaranth”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “amaranth” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for amaranth
PropertyValue
Headwordamaranth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæməɹænθ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#60,615
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “amaranth” in English

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).amaranthfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Altrincham” (#60,614), “Ambani” (#60,617), “ambidextrous” (#60,618). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “amaranth” is #60,615. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

amaranth is uncommon English at frequency #60,615 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæməɹænθ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

amaranth doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French amarante, or directly from its etymon Latin amarantus (the word ending influenced by plant names derived from Ancient Greek ἄνθος (ánthos, “a bloom, blossom, flower”)), from Ancient Greek ἀμάραντος (amárantos, “eternal, undying, unfadin… The correct English form is amaranth, spelled A-M-A-R-A-N-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An imaginary flower that does not wither.
  2. 2
    Any of various herbs of the genus Amaranthus.
  3. 3
    The characteristic purplish-red colour of the flowers or leaves of these plants.
  4. 4
    A red to purple azo dye used as a biological stain, and in some countries in cosmetics and as a food colouring. See Amaranth (dye).
  5. 5
    The seed of these plants, used as a cereal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With ſolemn adoration down they [the angels] caſt / Thir Crowns inwove with Amarant and Gold; / Immortal Amarant, a Flour which once / In Paradiſe, faſt by the Tree of Life / Began to bloom, but ſoon for mans offence / To Heav'n remov'd where firſt it grew, there grows, / And flours aloft ſhading the Fount of Life, […]
  2. Thouſands of flow'rs their ſilken webs unfold, / Amarants, immortal amarants ariſe, / Theſe beaming bright with vegetable gold, / And theſe with azure, theſe with Tyrian dyes; […]

Etymology

Borrowed from French amarante, or directly from its etymon Latin amarantus (the word ending influenced by plant names derived from Ancient Greek ἄνθος (ánthos, “a bloom, blossom, flower”)), from Ancient Greek ἀμάραντος (amárantos, “eternal, undying, unfading, unwilting; amaranth; everlasting flower”) (modern Greek αμάραντος (amárantos)), from ᾰ̓- (ă-, the alpha privativum, a prefix forming words having a sense opposite to the word or stem to which it is attached) + μαραίνω (maraínō, “to shrivel, wither”) + -τος (-tos, suffix forming adjectives).

This word in other languages

amaranto(Español)amarante(Français)Amarant(Deutsch)amaranto(Português)

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 "amaranth"?
"amaranth" is spelled A-M-A-R-A-N-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæməɹænθ/.
What does "amaranth" mean?
As a noun, "amaranth" means: An imaginary flower that does not wither.
How do you pronounce "amaranth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amaranth" is /ˈæməɹænθ/. 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 "amaranth"?
Borrowed from French amarante, or directly from its etymon Latin amarantus (the word ending influenced by plant names derived from Ancient Greek ἄνθος (ánthos, “a bloom, blossom, flower”)), from Ancient Greek ἀμάραντος (amárantos, “eternal, undyin... 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 "amaranth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Amundsen#60,619belching#60,650Yankovic#60,580wrenched#60,575

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list