safeguard
/ˈseɪfɡɑː(ɹ)d/
"safeguard" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“safeguard” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,013 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,013
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that serves as a guard or protection; a defense.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | safeguard |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈseɪfɡɑː(ɹ)d/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #14,013 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “safeguard” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for safeguard is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈseɪfɡɑː(ɹ)d/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,013 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 safeguard, with forms such as "asfeguard", "saefguard", and "safegaurd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English savegard, from Middle French sauvegarde, from Old French salve garde, sauve garde, reconstructed as safe + guard. The correct English form is safeguard, spelled S-A-F-E-G-U-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1Something that serves as a guard or protection; a defense.
- 2One who, or that which, defends or protects; defence; protection.
- 3A safe-conduct or passport, especially in time of war.
- 4The monitor lizard.
Etymology
From Middle English savegard, from Middle French sauvegarde, from Old French salve garde, sauve garde, reconstructed as safe + guard.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: asfeguard,saefguard,safegaurd,safegguard,safeguadr,safeguardd,safeguarrd,safegurad,safeugard,saffeguard,safgeuard,sfaeguard,ssafeguard
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of safeguard - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “safeguard”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-A-F-E-G-U-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈseɪfɡɑː(ɹ)d/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.