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sally

/ˈsæli/noun, verb

sally is spelled S-A-L-L-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sally means “A willow” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sally is sallies.

How many letters and syllables are in sally?

Letters5: S-A-L-L-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is sally?

Sally appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th 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 sally?

  • /ˈsæli/

Sally has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-sally.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Sally.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of sally

  • sallies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • sallying participle, present
  • sallied participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does sally mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A willow.

  2. 2

    Any tree that resembles a willow.

  3. 3

    An object made from the wood of a willow.

  4. 4

    A sortie of troops from a besieged place against an enemy.

  5. 5

    A sudden rushing forth.

    Flocks of these birds stir up flying insects, which can then be picked off in quick sallies.

  6. 6

    A witty statement or quip, usually at the expense of one's interlocutor.

  7. 7

    An excursion or side trip.

  8. 8

    A tufted woollen part of a bellrope, used to provide grip when ringing a bell.

  9. 9

    slangA member of the Salvation Army.

  10. 10

    A kind of stonefly.

  11. 11

    A wren.

  12. 12

    CanadaUSslangThe crystalline or powdered form of MDA.

verb

  1. 1

    To make a sudden attack (e.g. on an enemy from a defended position).

    The troops sallied in desperation.

  2. 2

    To set out on an excursion; venture; depart (often followed by "forth").

  3. 3

    To venture off the beaten path.

noun

as Sally
  1. 1

    CanadaUSslangAlternative letter-case form of sally: the crystalline or powdered form of MDA.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Sally in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchsaillie (sortie – see also sortie)
GermanAusfall, Versuch (sortie – see also sortie), Vorstürmen, Anstürmen, Hechten (sudden rushing forth), einen Ausfall machen (to make a sudden attack)

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 sally come from?

From Middle English saly, from Old English saliġ, sealh (“willow”). More at sallow.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after sally