samurai

/ˈsæm(j)ʊɹaɪ/

//ˈsæm(j)ʊɹaɪ// noun

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

"samurai" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“samurai” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,134. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,134
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In feudal Japan, a soldier who served a daimyo.

Corpus desk

Index EN-samurai · samurai · English

samurai · rank #12,134 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,134
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH salvage

Nearest frequency peer: salvage (-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 “samurai”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “samurai” 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).

samurai vs sakura
71% similar
samurai vs samara
71% similar
samurai vs Sakurai
71% similar

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

Key facts for samurai
PropertyValue
Headwordsamurai
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsæm(j)ʊɹaɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,134
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “samurai”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).samurailands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “salvage” (#12,133), “Sasha” (#12,135), “ruthless” (#12,132). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “samurai” is #12,134. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around samurai (IPA /ˈsæm(j)ʊɹaɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,134 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "In feudal Japan, a soldier who served a daimyo.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for samurai, with forms such as "asmurai", "sammurai", and "samruai". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "sakura", "samara", "Sakurai", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 侍 (samurai). The correct English form is samurai, spelled S-A-M-U-R-A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    In feudal Japan, a soldier who served a daimyo.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 侍 (samurai).

This word in other languages

samurái(Español)samouraï(Français)Samurai(Deutsch)samurai(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asmurai
  • sammurai
  • samruai
  • samuari
  • samuria
  • samurrai
  • saumrai
  • smaurai
  • ssamurai

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of samurai - 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.

asmurai2sammurai1samruai2samuari2samuria2samurrai1saumrai2smaurai2
Edit distance from "samurai"

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 "samurai"?
"samurai" is spelled S-A-M-U-R-A-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæm(j)ʊɹaɪ/.
What does "samurai" mean?
As a noun, "samurai" means: In feudal Japan, a soldier who served a daimyo.
What words are commonly confused with "samurai"?
"samurai" is commonly confused with "sakura", "samara", "Sakurai". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "samurai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "samurai" is /ˈsæm(j)ʊɹaɪ/. 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 "samurai"?
Borrowed from Japanese 侍 (samurai). 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 "samurai", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

salvage#12,133refresh#12,130seafood#12,138posture#12,123

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

shakes9 variantsraging9 variantsspeedy9 variantsmorals9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list