sandalwood

/ˈsandəlwʊd/

//ˈsandəlwʊd// noun

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

"sandalwood" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sandalwood” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,365. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,365
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various tropical trees of the genus Santalum, native or long naturalized in India, Australia, Hawaii, and many south Pacific islands.

Key facts for sandalwood
PropertyValue
Headwordsandalwood
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsandəlwʊd/
Letters10
Frequency rank#41,365
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sandalwood” 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). sandalwood lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around sandalwood (IPA /ˈsandəlwʊd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,365 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for sandalwood, with forms such as "asndalwood", "sadnalwood", and "sanadlwood". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sandal + wood, the first component being from Middle English sandal (“sandalwood”), from Medieval Latin sandalum, from Byzantine Greek σάνδανον (sándanon), σάνταλον (sántalon), from Arabic صَنْدَل (ṣandal), from Middle Persian [script needed] (cndl /⁠č… The correct English form is sandalwood, spelled S-A-N-D-A-L-W-O-O-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various tropical trees of the genus Santalum, native or long naturalized in India, Australia, Hawaii, and many south Pacific islands.
  2. 2
    The aromatic heartwood of these trees used in ornamental carving, in the construction of insect-repellent boxes and chests, and as a source of certain perfumes.

Etymology

From sandal + wood, the first component being from Middle English sandal (“sandalwood”), from Medieval Latin sandalum, from Byzantine Greek σάνδανον (sándanon), σάνταλον (sántalon), from Arabic صَنْدَل (ṣandal), from Middle Persian [script needed] (cndl /⁠čandal⁠/, “sandalwood”), from Sanskrit चन्दन (candana, “sandalwood”).

This word in other languages

sándalo(Español)santal(Français)Sandelholz(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asndalwood
  • sadnalwood
  • sanadlwood
  • sandallwood
  • sandalowod
  • sandalwod
  • sandalwodo
  • sandalwoodd
  • sandalwwood
  • sandawlood
  • sanddalwood
  • sandlawood
  • sanndalwood
  • snadalwood
  • ssandalwood

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asndalwood2sadnalwood2sanadlwood2sandallwood1sandalowod2sandalwod1sandalwodo2sandalwoodd1
Edit distance from "sandalwood"

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 "sandalwood"?
"sandalwood" is spelled S-A-N-D-A-L-W-O-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsandəlwʊd/.
What does "sandalwood" mean?
As a noun, "sandalwood" means: Any of various tropical trees of the genus Santalum, native or long naturalized in India, Australia, Hawaii, and many south Pacific islands.
What are common misspellings of "sandalwood"?
Common misspellings include "asndalwood", "sadnalwood", "sanadlwood", "sandallwood", "sandalowod". The correct spelling is "sandalwood".
How do you pronounce "sandalwood"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sandalwood" is /ˈsandəlwʊd/. 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 "sandalwood"?
From sandal + wood, the first component being from Middle English sandal (“sandalwood”), from Medieval Latin sandalum, from Byzantine Greek σάνδανον (sándanon), σάνταλον (sántalon), from Arabic صَنْدَل (ṣandal), from Middle Persian [script needed]... 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 “sandalwood”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-A-N-D-A-L-W-O-O-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsandəlwʊd/ (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

Same frequency band

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