sallow

/ˈsæloʊ/

//ˈsæloʊ// adj

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

"sallow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sallow” is uncommon English (frequency #79,035 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,035
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Yellowish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sallow · sallow · English

sallow · rank #79,035 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,035
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Salvos

Nearest frequency peer: Salvos (+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 “sallow”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sallow
PropertyValue
Headwordsallow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsæloʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#79,035
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sallow” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sallowfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Salvos” (#79,036), “Sachiko” (#79,033), “samiti” (#79,037). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sallow” is #79,035. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sallow is uncommon English at frequency #79,035 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsæloʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

sallow doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 соло… The correct English form is sallow, spelled S-A-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Yellowish.
  2. 2
    Yellowish.
  3. 3
    Having skin (especially on the face) of a sickly pale colour.
  4. 4
    Having a similar pale, yellowish colour.
  5. 5
    Foul; murky; sickly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine Hath wash’d thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!
  2. […] were it not that his Complexion is sallow, and that he is something short of a Leg, and Blind of one Eye, he would positively be the most lovely of all the human Species.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

cireux(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 "sallow"?
"sallow" is spelled S-A-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæloʊ/.
What does "sallow" mean?
As an adjective, "sallow" means: Yellowish.
How do you pronounce "sallow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sallow" is /ˈsæloʊ/. 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 "sallow"?
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, Ru... 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 "sallow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Salvos#79,036samiti#79,037Scaife#79,039Rohrer#79,017

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list