sallow
/ˈsæloʊ/adjective, verb, noun
sallow is spelled S-A-L-L-O-W: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 78,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sallow means “Of a sickly pale colour” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sallow?
| Letters | 6: S-A-L-L-O-W |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 78,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sallow?
Sallow appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 78,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sallow?
- US /ˈsæloʊ/
- UK /ˈsæləʊ/
- Australia /ˈsæləʉ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: Sallow.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sallow.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sallow?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sallow from its last stressed vowel (/æloʊ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sallow
- sallower comparative
- sallowest superlative
- sallows present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- sallowing participle, present
- sallowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sallow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a sickly pale colour.
- 2
IrelandOf a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia.
A yellow undertone is often found on people with sallow skin – e.g. Asian.
- 3
Having skin (especially on the face) of a sickly pale colour.
- 4
Having a similar pale, yellowish colour.
- 5
Foul; murky; sickly.
verb
- 1
To become sallow.
- 2
To cause (someone or something) to become sallow.
noun
- 1
A European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
- 2
A willow twig or branch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sallow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cireux, jaunâtre , saule marsault |
| German | blassgelblich, blässlich, teigig , Salweide |
| Spanish | zargatillo, sauce cabruno, salce cabruno |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sallow come from?
From Middle English salowe, from Old English salu, from Proto-West Germanic *salu, from Proto-Germanic *salwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *selH-. See also Dutch zaluw, dialectal German sal; also Irish salach (“dirty”), Welsh halog, Latin salīva, Russian соло́вый (solóvyj, “cream-colored”), and - through Frankish - French sale.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).