sanguinary

/ˈsæŋɡwɪnəɹi/

//ˈsæŋɡwɪnəɹi// adj

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

The verdict

“sanguinary” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Involving bloodshed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sanguinary · sanguinary · English

sanguinary · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for sanguinary
PropertyValue
Headwordsanguinary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsæŋɡwɪnəɹi/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sanguinary” in English

sanguinarysits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sanguinary is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsæŋɡwɪnəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for sanguinary, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sanguinarie, from Latin sanguinārius. The correct English form is sanguinary, spelled S-A-N-G-U-I-N-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Involving bloodshed.
  2. 2
    Eager to shed blood; bloodthirsty.
  3. 3
    Consisting of, covered with, or similar in appearance to blood.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We may not propagate religion by wars, or by sanguinary persecutions to force consciences.
  2. "[…] every one of which took its rise from some noble family that succeeded in grasping the purple after a sanguinary struggle."

Etymology

From Middle English sanguinarie, from Latin sanguinārius.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sanguinary"?
"sanguinary" is spelled S-A-N-G-U-I-N-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæŋɡwɪnəɹi/.
What does "sanguinary" mean?
As an adjective, "sanguinary" means: Involving bloodshed.
How do you pronounce "sanguinary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sanguinary" is /ˈsæŋɡwɪnəɹi/. 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 "sanguinary"?
From Middle English sanguinarie, from Latin sanguinārius. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list