salutary

/ˈsaljʊtəɹi/

//ˈsaljʊtəɹi// adj

"salutary" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“salutary” is uncommon English (frequency #58,988 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,988
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Effecting or designed to effect an improvement; remedial.

Corpus desk

Index EN-salutary · salutary · English

salutary · rank #58,988 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,988
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Salgado

Nearest frequency peer: Salgado (-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 “salutary”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for salutary
PropertyValue
Headwordsalutary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsaljʊtəɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#58,988
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “salutary” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Salgado” (#58,987), “Sandhu” (#58,989), “Saka” (#58,986). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “salutary” is #58,988. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

salutary is uncommon English at frequency #58,988 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsaljʊtəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

salutary doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French salutaire and its source, Latin salutaris (“healthful”), from salus (“health”). The correct English form is salutary, spelled S-A-L-U-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Effecting or designed to effect an improvement; remedial.
  2. 2
    Promoting good health and physical well-being; wholesome; curative.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. salutary advice
  2. The effect was most salutary; and, amid starts and screams—for the poor girl was fairly frightened out of the small portion of sense that, at any time, belonged to her—they learned that Lord Marchmont had been found dead in his bed; and that Lady Marchmont was, with the shock, in a state of almost insanity!

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French salutaire and its source, Latin salutaris (“healthful”), from salus (“health”).

This word in other languages

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 "salutary"?
"salutary" is spelled S-A-L-U-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaljʊtəɹi/.
What does "salutary" mean?
As an adjective, "salutary" means: Effecting or designed to effect an improvement; remedial.
How do you pronounce "salutary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "salutary" is /ˈsaljʊtəɹi/. 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 "salutary"?
Borrowed from Middle French salutaire and its source, Latin salutaris (“healthful”), from salus (“health”). 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 "salutary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list