samosa

/səˈmoʊsə/

//səˈmoʊsə// noun

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

The verdict

“samosa” is uncommon English (frequency #81,794 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,794
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A South Asian snack consisting of a deep-fried triangular turnover filled with vegetables (especially potatoes) or meat.

Key facts for samosa
PropertyValue
Headwordsamosa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səˈmoʊsə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#81,794
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “samosa” 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). samosa 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

samosa is uncommon English at frequency #81,794 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /səˈmoʊsə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A South Asian snack consisting of a deep-fried triangular turnover filled with vegetables (especially potatoes) or meat.".

samosa doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hindustani سموسہ (samosa) / समोसा (samosā), from Classical Persian سنبوسه (sanbōsa), from Middle Persian *sambōsag. Doublet of sambusa, sambusak, sambuseh, sambuusa, and samsa. The correct English form is samosa, spelled S-A-M-O-S-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A South Asian snack consisting of a deep-fried triangular turnover filled with vegetables (especially potatoes) or meat.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani سموسہ (samosa) / समोसा (samosā), from Classical Persian سنبوسه (sanbōsa), from Middle Persian *sambōsag. Doublet of sambusa, sambusak, sambuseh, sambuusa, and samsa.

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 "samosa"?
"samosa" is spelled S-A-M-O-S-A. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈmoʊsə/.
What does "samosa" mean?
As a noun, "samosa" means: A South Asian snack consisting of a deep-fried triangular turnover filled with vegetables (especially potatoes) or meat.
How do you pronounce "samosa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "samosa" is /səˈmoʊsə/. 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 "samosa"?
Borrowed from Hindustani سموسہ (samosa) / समोसा (samosā), from Classical Persian سنبوسه (sanbōsa), from Middle Persian *sambōsag. Doublet of sambusa, sambusak, sambuseh, sambuusa, and samsa. 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 “samosa”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-M-O-S-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səˈmoʊsə/ (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