salmon

/ˈsæmən/

//ˈsæmən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“salmon” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,055 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,055
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One of several species of fish, typically of the Salmoninae subfamily, brownish above with silvery sides and delicate pinkish-orange flesh; they ascend rivers to spawn.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

salmon vs Simon
50% similar
salmon vs salon
83% similar
salmon vs Saxon
50% similar

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

Key facts for salmon
PropertyValue
Headwordsalmon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsæmən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,055
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “salmon” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). salmon lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for salmon is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsæmən/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,055 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for salmon, with forms such as "aslmon", "sallmon", and "salmmon". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Simon", "salon", "Saxon", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English samoun, samon, saumon, from Anglo-Norman saumon, from Old French saumon, from Latin salmō, salmōn-. Widely displaced native Middle English lax, from Old English leax (whence modern dialectal lax). The unpronounced l was later inserted to… The correct English form is salmon, spelled S-A-L-M-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of several species of fish, typically of the Salmoninae subfamily, brownish above with silvery sides and delicate pinkish-orange flesh; they ascend rivers to spawn.
  2. 2
    A meal or dish made from this fish.
  3. 3
    A pale pinkish-orange colour, the colour of cooked salmon.
  4. 4
    The upper bricks in a kiln which receive the least heat.
  5. 5
    snout (tobacco; from salmon and trout)
  6. 6
    canned fish, usually mackerel.

Etymology

From Middle English samoun, samon, saumon, from Anglo-Norman saumon, from Old French saumon, from Latin salmō, salmōn-. Widely displaced native Middle English lax, from Old English leax (whence modern dialectal lax). The unpronounced l was later inserted to make the word appear closer to its Latin root (compare words like debt, indict, receipt for the same spelling Latinizations). The verb sense “ride a bicycle the wrong way down a one-way street” alludes to salmon swimming upstream against the flow of a river to spawn.

This word in other languages

salmón(Español)saumon(Français)Lachs(Deutsch)salmão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aslmon,sallmon,salmmon,salmno,salmonn,salomn,samlon,slamon,ssalmon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aslmon2sallmon1salmmon1salmno2salmonn1salomn2samlon2slamon2
Edit distance from "salmon"

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 "salmon"?
"salmon" is spelled S-A-L-M-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæmən/.
What does "salmon" mean?
As a noun, "salmon" means: One of several species of fish, typically of the Salmoninae subfamily, brownish above with silvery sides and delicate pinkish-orange flesh; they ascend rivers to spawn.
What words are commonly confused with "salmon"?
"salmon" is commonly confused with "Simon", "salon", "Saxon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "salmon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "salmon" is /ˈsæmən/. 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 "salmon"?
From Middle English samoun, samon, saumon, from Anglo-Norman saumon, from Old French saumon, from Latin salmō, salmōn-. Widely displaced native Middle English lax, from Old English leax (whence modern dialectal lax). The unpronounced l was later i... 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.

Using “salmon”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-L-M-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsæmən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Simon” - see the side-by-side comparison. salmon vs Simon
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list