saman

/ˈsaman/

//ˈsaman// noun

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

"saman" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“saman” is uncommon English (frequency #94,217 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,217
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fine; a monetary penalty imposed for breaking the law.

Key facts for saman
PropertyValue
Headwordsaman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsaman/
Letters5
Frequency rank#94,217
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “saman” 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). saman lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

saman is uncommon English at frequency #94,217 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsaman/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for saman, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Malay saman (“fine, financial penalty”), from English summons. Doublet of summons. The correct English form is saman, spelled S-A-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fine; a monetary penalty imposed for breaking the law.
  2. 2
    Alternative form of zaman

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay saman (“fine, financial penalty”), from English summons. Doublet of summons.

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 "saman"?
"saman" is spelled S-A-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaman/.
What does "saman" mean?
As a noun, "saman" means: A fine; a monetary penalty imposed for breaking the law.
How do you pronounce "saman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "saman" is /ˈsaman/. 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 "saman"?
Borrowed from Malay saman (“fine, financial penalty”), from English summons. Doublet of summons. 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 “saman”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-M-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsaman/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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