salacious

/səˈleɪ.ʃəs/

//səˈleɪ.ʃəs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“salacious” is uncommon English (frequency #55,713 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,713
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Promoting sexual desire or lust.

Corpus desk

Index EN-salacious · salacious · English

salacious · rank #55,713 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,713
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH salting

Nearest frequency peer: salting (+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 “salacious”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for salacious
PropertyValue
Headwordsalacious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səˈleɪ.ʃəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#55,713
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “salacious” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).salaciousfalls 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: “salting” (#55,714), “SAARC” (#55,711), “sandpiper” (#55,715). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “salacious” is #55,713. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

salacious is uncommon English at frequency #55,713 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /səˈleɪ.ʃəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for salacious in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Latin salāx, salācis (“provocative, lustful”) + -ious. The correct English form is salacious, spelled S-A-L-A-C-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Promoting sexual desire or lust.
  2. 2
    Lascivious, bawdy, obscene, lewd.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. utterly salacious
  2. salacious gossip

Etymology

Derived from Latin salāx, salācis (“provocative, lustful”) + -ious.

Synonyms

ardenthotdirtylubricious

This word in other languages

salaz(Español)salace(Français)anzüglich(Deutsch)fogoso(Português)

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 "salacious"?
"salacious" is spelled S-A-L-A-C-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈleɪ.ʃəs/.
What does "salacious" mean?
As an adjective, "salacious" means: Promoting sexual desire or lust.
How do you pronounce "salacious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "salacious" is /səˈleɪ.ʃəs/. 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 "salacious"?
Derived from Latin salāx, salācis (“provocative, lustful”) + -ious. 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 "salacious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sandpiper#55,715skatepark#55,740recumbent#55,683plaintive#55,648

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list