Salem

/ˈseɪləm/

//ˈseɪləm// name

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

"salem" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Salem” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,287. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,287
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The biblical place ruled by Melchizedek; mostly identified with Jerusalem.

Corpus desk

Index EN-salem · Salem · English

Salem · rank #11,287 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,287
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sank

Nearest frequency peer: sank (+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 “Salem”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Salem” 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).

Salem vs Sam
60% similar
Salem vs sem
40% similar
Salem vs SLE
20% similar

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

Key facts for Salem
PropertyValue
HeadwordSalem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈseɪləm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,287
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Salem”

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).Salemlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sank” (#11,288), “rot” (#11,285), “Santos” (#11,289). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Salem” is #11,287. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Salem (IPA /ˈseɪləm/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #11,287 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 18 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Salem, with forms such as "aslem", "saelm", and "salemm". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Sam", "sem", "SLE", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18). The correct English form is Salem, spelled S-A-L-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The biblical place ruled by Melchizedek; mostly identified with Jerusalem.
  2. 2
    Any of several places in the USA:
  3. 3
    Any of several places in the USA:
  4. 4
    Any of several places in the USA:
  5. 5
    Any of several places in the USA:
  6. 6
    Any of several places in the USA:
  7. 7
    Any of several places in the USA:
  8. 8
    Any of several places in the USA:
  9. 9
    Any of several places in the USA:
  10. 10
    Any of several places in the USA:
  11. 11
    Any of several places in the USA:
  12. 12
    Any of several places in the USA:
  13. 13
    Any of several places in the USA:
  14. 14
    Any of several places in the USA:
  15. 15
    Any of several places in the USA:
  16. 16
    A municipality of Stockholm, Sweden.
  17. 17
    A town in Montserrat, which was evacuated and later resettled.
  18. 18
    A female given name from Hebrew.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The third Iraq veteran -- 23-year-old Cloy Richards of Salem, Missouri, who was wounded in combat -- will avoid losing his disability benefits after agreeing not to wear his uniform at future protests, the Marine Corps said.
  2. Strebe said she installed five surveillance cameras at her home and now fuels her car only at night to avoid neighbors. Moving from Salem would mean leaving extended family, but she said the small city has grown too hostile to stay.

Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aslem
  • saelm
  • salemm
  • sallem
  • salme
  • slaem
  • ssalem

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aslem2saelm2salemm1sallem1salme2slaem2ssalem1
Edit distance from "Salem"

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 "Salem"?
"Salem" is spelled S-A-L-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈseɪləm/.
What does "Salem" mean?
As a proper noun, "Salem" means: The biblical place ruled by Melchizedek; mostly identified with Jerusalem.
What words are commonly confused with "Salem"?
"Salem" is commonly confused with "Sam", "sem", "SLE". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Salem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Salem" is /ˈseɪləm/. 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 "Salem"?
From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18). 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 "Salem", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spear#11,296spies#11,297stain#11,298prank#11,271

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

tidal7 variantsmoody7 variantsabuses7 variantsjuicy7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list