saffron

/ˈsæfɹən/

//ˈsæfɹən// noun

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

"saffron" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“saffron” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,204. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,204
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-saffron · saffron · English

saffron · rank #22,204 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #22,204
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH rowdy

Nearest frequency peer: rowdy (-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 “saffron”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “saffron” 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).

saffron vs Sauron
57% similar

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

Key facts for saffron
PropertyValue
Headwordsaffron
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsæfɹən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,204
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “saffron”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “rowdy” (#22,203), “Salford” (#22,205), “sassy” (#22,206). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “saffron” is #22,204. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around saffron (IPA /ˈsæfɹən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,204 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for saffron, with forms such as "asffron", "safforn", and "saffrno". 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, "Sauron", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Aramaic צפרder. Arabic زَعْفَرَان (zaʕfarān)bor. Medieval Latin safranumbor. Old French safranbor. Middle English saffron English saffron Inherited from Middle English saffron, borrowed from Old French safran, borrowed from Medieval Latin saf… The correct English form is saffron, spelled S-A-F-F-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus.
  2. 2
    A spice (seasoning) and colouring agent made from the stigma and part of the style of the plant, sometimes or formerly also used as a dye and insect repellent.
  3. 3
    An orange-yellow colour, the colour of a lion's pelt.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron […]
  2. 2009, D. H. Sanaeinejad, S. N. Hosseini, Regression Models for Saffron Yields in Iran, Daoliang Li, Chunjiang Zhao (editors), Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture II, Volume 1, page 510, Usually the maximum temperature for October, November and December in the southern parts of Khorassan–the main saffron growing area of the Iran-does not exc…

Etymology

Etymology tree Aramaic צפרder. Arabic زَعْفَرَان (zaʕfarān)bor. Medieval Latin safranumbor. Old French safranbor. Middle English saffron English saffron Inherited from Middle English saffron, borrowed from Old French safran, borrowed from Medieval Latin safranum, borrowed from Arabic زَعْفَرَان (zaʕfarān), from Aramaic צפר.

This word in other languages

azafrán(Español)safran(Français)Safran(Deutsch)açafrão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asffron
  • safforn
  • saffrno
  • saffronn
  • saffrron
  • safrfon
  • safron
  • sfafron
  • ssaffron

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of saffron - 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.

asffron2safforn2saffrno2saffronn1saffrron1safrfon2safron1sfafron2
Edit distance from "saffron"

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 "saffron"?
"saffron" is spelled S-A-F-F-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæfɹən/.
What does "saffron" mean?
As a noun, "saffron" means: A plant of species Crocus sativus, a crocus.
What words are commonly confused with "saffron"?
"saffron" is commonly confused with "Sauron". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "saffron"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "saffron" is /ˈsæfɹən/. 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 "saffron"?
Etymology tree Aramaic צפרder. Arabic زَعْفَرَان (zaʕfarān)bor. Medieval Latin safranumbor. Old French safranbor. Middle English saffron English saffron Inherited from Middle English saffron, borrowed from Old French safran, borrowed from Medieval... 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 "saffron", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Salford#22,205seeding#22,211Redmond#22,196Ramadan#22,191

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

sender9 variantsseptic9 variantsshamed9 variantsslider9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list