sagittal

/ˈsad͡ʒ.ɪ.təl/

//ˈsad͡ʒ.ɪ.təl// adj

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

"sagittal" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sagittal” is uncommon English (frequency #71,873 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,873
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to or denoting the suture on top of the skull which runs between the parietal bones in a front to back direction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sagittal · sagittal · English

sagittal · rank #71,873 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,873
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sailfish

Nearest frequency peer: sailfish (+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 “sagittal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sagittal
PropertyValue
Headwordsagittal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsad͡ʒ.ɪ.təl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#71,873
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sagittal” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sagittalfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “sailfish” (#71,874), “saltiness” (#71,875), “runaround” (#71,868). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sagittal” is #71,873. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sagittal is uncommon English at frequency #71,873 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsad͡ʒ.ɪ.təl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for sagittal in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin sagittālis, from sagitta (“an arrow, shaft, bolt”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). The correct English form is sagittal, spelled S-A-G-I-T-T-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to or denoting the suture on top of the skull which runs between the parietal bones in a front to back direction.
  2. 2
    Relating to or denoting the suture on top of the skull which runs between the parietal bones in a front to back direction.
  3. 3
    Of or relating to an arrow; resembling an arrow; furnished with an arrowlike appendage.

Etymology

Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin sagittālis, from sagitta (“an arrow, shaft, bolt”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

This word in other languages

sagital(Español)sagittal(Deutsch)

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 "sagittal"?
"sagittal" is spelled S-A-G-I-T-T-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsad͡ʒ.ɪ.təl/.
What does "sagittal" mean?
As an adjective, "sagittal" means: Relating to or denoting the suture on top of the skull which runs between the parietal bones in a front to back direction.
How do you pronounce "sagittal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sagittal" is /ˈsad͡ʒ.ɪ.təl/. 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 "sagittal"?
Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin sagittālis, from sagitta (“an arrow, shaft, bolt”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). 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 "sagittal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sailfish#71,874rocketry#71,859schnapps#71,888seagoing#71,894

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list