asparagus

/əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/

//əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs// noun

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

"asparagus" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“asparagus” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,840. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,840
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-asparagus · asparagus · English

asparagus · rank #20,840 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,840
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Athena

Nearest frequency peer: Athena (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “asparagus”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “asparagus” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

asparagus vs apparatus
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for asparagus
PropertyValue
Headwordasparagus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,840
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “asparagus”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).asparaguslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Athena” (#20,841), “arterial” (#20,838), “attest” (#20,842). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “asparagus” is #20,840. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around asparagus (IPA /əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,840 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.
  2. 2
    The young shoots of Asparagus officinalis eaten as a vegetable.
  3. 3
    A green colour, like that of an asparagus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. At the greenmarket, it’s still mostly potatoes and apples. There are no tender greens, fava beans, peas, asparagus, artichokes, sorrel, rhubarb or early strawberries. Those harbingers of the season are said to be full of chi, or qi, the Chinese word for life force. We’re craving them as we’re craving lighter, brighter-tasting meals, food that is greener a…

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

espárrago(Español)asperge(Français)Spargel(Deutsch)espargo(Português)

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.

apsaragus2asapragus2aspaargus2asparaggus1asparagsu2asparaguss1asparaugs2aspargaus2
Edit distance from "asparagus"

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"?
"asparagus" is spelled A-S-P-A-R-A-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/.
What does "asparagus" mean?
As a noun, "asparagus" means: Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.
What words are commonly confused with "asparagus"?
"asparagus" is commonly confused with "apparatus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "asparagus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "asparagus" is /əˈspæɹ.ə.ɡəs/. 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 "asparagus"?
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. 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 "asparagus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

awkwardly#20,848worldview#20,818Cambodian#20,869Cassandra#20,871

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

bridging13 variantsbrighten13 variantsWolfgang13 variantsCharlton13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list