argosy

noun

"argosy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“argosy” is uncommon English (frequency #81,120 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,120
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A merchant ship.

Corpus desk

Index EN-argosy · argosy · English

argosy · rank #81,120 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,120
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Arezzo

Nearest frequency peer: Arezzo (-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 “argosy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for argosy
PropertyValue
Headwordargosy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Frequency rank#81,120
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “argosy” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).argosyfalls 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: “Arezzo” (#81,119), “arbitrariness” (#81,118), “arsenide” (#81,122). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “argosy” is #81,120. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

argosy is uncommon English at frequency #81,120 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

argosy has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of Italian ragusea (“a large ship”), after the maritime city of Ragusa, now Dubrovnik. The correct English form is argosy, spelled A-R-G-O-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A merchant ship.
  2. 2
    A merchant flotilla, fleet.
  3. 3
    An abundant supply, boatload.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Gremio, 'tis known my father hath no less Than three great argosies, besides two galliasses, And twelve tight galleys; these I will assure her, And twice as much, whate'er thou offer'st next.
  2. The wreck was total—as total as that ever is which trusts its all to one argosy.

Etymology

Alteration of Italian ragusea (“a large ship”), after the maritime city of Ragusa, now Dubrovnik.

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 "argosy"?
"argosy" is spelled A-R-G-O-S-Y.
What does "argosy" mean?
As a noun, "argosy" means: A merchant ship.
What is the origin of the word "argosy"?
Alteration of Italian ragusea (“a large ship”), after the maritime city of Ragusa, now Dubrovnik. 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 "argosy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list