sanctuary

/ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/

//ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sanctuary” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,969. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,969
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A place of safety, refuge, or protection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sanctuary · sanctuary · English

sanctuary · rank #7,969 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,969
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH revival

Nearest frequency peer: revival (-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 “sanctuary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sanctuary” 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).

sanctuary vs sanitary
78% similar

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

Key facts for sanctuary
PropertyValue
Headwordsanctuary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,969
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sanctuary”

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).sanctuarylands 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 “revival” (#7,968), “Satan” (#7,970), “satisfying” (#7,971). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sanctuary” is #7,969. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around sanctuary (IPA /ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,969 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for sanctuary, with forms such as "asnctuary", "sacntuary", and "sancctuary". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "sanitary", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English seyntuarie, from Old French saintuaire, from Late Latin sanctuarium (“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”), from Latin sanctus (“holy, sacred”); see s… The correct English form is sanctuary, spelled S-A-N-C-T-U-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A place of safety, refuge, or protection.
  2. 2
    An area set aside for protection.
  3. 3
    A state of being protected, asylum.
  4. 4
    The consecrated (or sacred) area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My car is a sanctuary, where none can disturb me except for people who cut me off.
  2. She saw him, even as she had last gazed upon him, pale, cold, and awful; but still he was there. The coffin was to her like a shrine; all that she held most dear and most precious was within its dark and silent sanctuary.

Etymology

From Middle English seyntuarie, from Old French saintuaire, from Late Latin sanctuarium (“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”), from Latin sanctus (“holy, sacred”); see saint.

This word in other languages

refuge(Français)Zuflucht(Deutsch)refúgio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asnctuary
  • sacntuary
  • sancctuary
  • sanctaury
  • sancttuary
  • sanctuarry
  • sanctuaryy
  • sanctuayr
  • sancturay
  • sancutary
  • sannctuary
  • santcuary
  • snactuary
  • ssanctuary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sanctuary - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

asnctuary2sacntuary2sancctuary1sanctaury2sancttuary1sanctuarry1sanctuaryy1sanctuayr2
Edit distance from "sanctuary"

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 "sanctuary"?
"sanctuary" is spelled S-A-N-C-T-U-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/.
What does "sanctuary" mean?
As a noun, "sanctuary" means: A place of safety, refuge, or protection.
What words are commonly confused with "sanctuary"?
"sanctuary" is commonly confused with "sanitary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sanctuary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sanctuary" is /ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/. 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 "sanctuary"?
From Middle English seyntuarie, from Old French saintuaire, from Late Latin sanctuarium (“a sacred place, a shrine, a private cabinet, in Medieval Latin also temple, church, churchyard, cemetery, right of asylum”), from Latin sanctus (“holy, sacre... 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 "sanctuary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

obtaining#7,949translate#7,991treasurer#7,992Venezuela#7,996

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

beautifully14 variantsHenderson14 variantscompetent14 variantsdischarge14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list