Samarkand

/ˈsæmə(ɹ)kænd/

//ˈsæmə(ɹ)kænd// name

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

"samarkand" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Samarkand” is uncommon English (frequency #67,010 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,010
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The regional capital of the Samarkand region, Uzbekistan. Official name: Samarqand.

Corpus desk

Index EN-samarkand · Samarkand · English

Samarkand · rank #67,010 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,010
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Salamis

Nearest frequency peer: Salamis (-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 “Samarkand”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Samarkand
PropertyValue
HeadwordSamarkand
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈsæmə(ɹ)kænd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#67,010
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Samarkand” 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).Samarkandfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Salamis” (#67,009), “Sammie” (#67,011), “saco” (#67,007). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Samarkand” is #67,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Samarkand is uncommon English at frequency #67,010 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈsæmə(ɹ)kænd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Samarkand doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Russian Самарка́нд (Samarkánd), from Persian سمرقند (samarqand), from Sogdian 𐼼𐼺𐼰𐽀𐼸𐼻𐼹𐼳 (smʾrknδh /⁠*Smā́rkąθ⁠/). The correct English form is Samarkand, spelled S-A-M-A-R-K-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The regional capital of the Samarkand region, Uzbekistan. Official name: Samarqand.
  2. 2
    A region of Uzbekistan.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Look ’round thee now on Samarcand! — Is she not queen of Earth? her pride Above all cities? in her hand Their destinies?
  2. In the quaver of his voice was a remembering of long muletrains jingling through the gate, queens in litters hung with patchwork curtains from Samarcand, […]

Etymology

From Russian Самарка́нд (Samarkánd), from Persian سمرقند (samarqand), from Sogdian 𐼼𐼺𐼰𐽀𐼸𐼻𐼹𐼳 (smʾrknδh /⁠*Smā́rkąθ⁠/).

This word in other languages

Samarcanda(Español)Samarcande(Français)Samarkand(Deutsch)

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 "Samarkand"?
"Samarkand" is spelled S-A-M-A-R-K-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæmə(ɹ)kænd/.
What does "Samarkand" mean?
As a proper noun, "Samarkand" means: The regional capital of the Samarkand region, Uzbekistan. Official name: Samarqand.
How do you pronounce "Samarkand"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Samarkand" is /ˈsæmə(ɹ)kænd/. 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 "Samarkand"?
From Russian Самарка́нд (Samarkánd), from Persian سمرقند (samarqand), from Sogdian 𐼼𐼺𐼰𐽀𐼸𐼻𐼹𐼳 (smʾrknδh /⁠*Smā́rkąθ⁠/). 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 "Samarkand", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sardinian#67,014Sepulveda#67,034reliquary#66,984sleuthing#67,052

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list