salute

/səˈl(j)uːt/

//səˈl(j)uːt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“salute” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,110. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,110
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-salute · salute · English

salute · rank #11,110 · 8 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,110
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sailed

Nearest frequency peer: sailed (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “salute”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “salute” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

salute vs slut
67% similar
salute vs sate
67% similar
salute vs sauce
67% similar

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

Key facts for salute
PropertyValue
Headwordsalute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈl(j)uːt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,110
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “salute”

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).salutelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “sailed” (#11,109), “scripts” (#11,111), “rubbing” (#11,108). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “salute” is #11,110. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around salute (IPA /səˈl(j)uːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,110 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for salute, with forms such as "aslute", "sallute", and "saltue". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "slut", "sate", "sauce", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin salūtō (“to greet; to wish health to”), from salūs (“greeting, good health”), related to salvus (“safe”). The correct English form is salute, spelled S-A-L-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.
  2. 2
    A kiss, offered in salutation.
  3. 3
    A discharge of cannon or similar arms, as a mark of honour or respect.
  4. 4
    A pyrotechnic device primarily designed to produce a loud bang.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The soldiers greeted the dignitaries with a crisp salute.
  2. The Roman salute, in which the right arm was raised in a straight and perpendicular manner, had been adopted by D'Annunzio during his regency in Fiume. Like other rituals utilized by D'Annunzio, the salute became part of the rising fascist movement's symbolic patrimony and was inherited by Mussolini's government.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin salūtō (“to greet; to wish health to”), from salūs (“greeting, good health”), related to salvus (“safe”).

This word in other languages

saudação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aslute
  • sallute
  • saltue
  • saluet
  • salutte
  • saulte
  • slaute
  • ssalute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of salute - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aslute2sallute1saltue2saluet2salutte1saulte2slaute2ssalute1
Edit distance from "salute"

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 "salute"?
"salute" is spelled S-A-L-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈl(j)uːt/.
What does "salute" mean?
As a noun, "salute" means: An utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.
What words are commonly confused with "salute"?
"salute" is commonly confused with "slut", "sate", "sauce". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "salute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "salute" is /səˈl(j)uːt/. 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 "salute"?
Borrowed from Latin salūtō (“to greet; to wish health to”), from salūs (“greeting, good health”), related to salvus (“safe”). 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 "salute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sailed#11,109Serbia#11,113richer#11,102sleeps#11,119

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

shady8 variantsslack8 variantsslick8 variantsstarred8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list