sailfish

/ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/

//ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sailfish” is uncommon English (frequency #71,874 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,874
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fish of the genus Istiophorus, having a characteristic sail-like fin on its back.

Key facts for sailfish
PropertyValue
Headwordsailfish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#71,874
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sailfish” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sailfish is uncommon English at frequency #71,874 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for sailfish in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sail + fish. The correct English form is sailfish, spelled S-A-I-L-F-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fish of the genus Istiophorus, having a characteristic sail-like fin on its back.
  2. 2
    The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus).
  3. 3
    The quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus).

Etymology

From sail + fish.

This word in other languages

voilier(Français)

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 "sailfish"?
"sailfish" is spelled S-A-I-L-F-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/.
What does "sailfish" mean?
As a noun, "sailfish" means: A fish of the genus Istiophorus, having a characteristic sail-like fin on its back.
How do you pronounce "sailfish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sailfish" is /ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/. 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 "sailfish"?
From sail + fish. 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.

Using “sailfish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-I-L-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈseɪlˌfɪʃ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list