# sanctuary

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsæŋktjʊəɹi/ · frequency rank #7,969

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **sanitary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sanctuary-vs-sanitary)

## Common misspellings (14)
`asnctuary`, `sacntuary`, `sancctuary`, `sanctaury`, `sancttuary`, `sanctuarry`, `sanctuaryy`, `sanctuayr`, `sancturay`, `sancutary`, `sannctuary`, `santcuary`, `snactuary`, `ssanctuary`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sanctuary