asparagus
/əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/
"asparagus" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“asparagus” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,840 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #20,840
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | asparagus |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #20,840 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “asparagus” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for asparagus is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,840 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for asparagus, with forms such as "apsaragus", "asapragus", and "aspaargus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "apparatus", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin asparagus, sparagus, from Ancient Greek ἀσπάραγος (aspáragos), variant of ἀσφάραγος (aspháragos). Displaced Old English eorþnafola. Later became an eggcorn in dialect as sparrowgrass. The correct English form is asparagus, spelled A-S-P-A-R-A-G-U-S.
Definition
- 1Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.
- 2The young shoots of Asparagus officinalis eaten as a vegetable.
- 3A green colour, like that of an asparagus.
Etymology
Borrowed from Medieval Latin asparagus, sparagus, from Ancient Greek ἀσπάραγος (aspáragos), variant of ἀσφάραγος (aspháragos). Displaced Old English eorþnafola. Later became an eggcorn in dialect as sparrowgrass.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: apsaragus,asapragus,aspaargus,asparaggus,asparagsu,asparaguss,asparaugs,aspargaus,asparragus,aspparagus,aspraagus,assparagus,saparagus
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of asparagus - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "asparagus"?
What does "asparagus" mean?
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Using “asparagus”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-S-P-A-R-A-G-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “apparatus” - see the side-by-side comparison. asparagus vs apparatus
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.