sarcophagus

/sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs/

//sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs// noun

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

"sarcophagus" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sarcophagus” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,667. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,667
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stone coffin, often with its exterior inscribed, or decorated with sculpture.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sarcophagus · sarcophagus · English

sarcophagus · rank #37,667 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,667
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Samar

Nearest frequency peer: Samar (-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 “sarcophagus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sarcophagus” 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
Key facts for sarcophagus
PropertyValue
Headwordsarcophagus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#37,667
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sarcophagus”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sarcophaguslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Samar” (#37,666), “Sardar” (#37,668), “Saito” (#37,665). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sarcophagus” is #37,667. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around sarcophagus (IPA /sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,667 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for sarcophagus, with forms such as "asrcophagus", "sacrophagus", and "sarccophagus". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is borrowed from Latin sarcophagus (“grave; sarcophagus; flesh-eating, carnivorous”), from Ancient Greek σᾰρκοφᾰ́γος (sărkophắgos, “sarcophagus; flesh-eating, carnivorous”) (so named from λῐ́θος σᾰρκοφᾰ́γος (lĭ́thos sărkophắgos, literally “flesh-ea… The correct English form is sarcophagus, spelled S-A-R-C-O-P-H-A-G-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stone coffin, often with its exterior inscribed, or decorated with sculpture.
  2. 2
    The cement and steel structure that encases the destroyed nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
  3. 3
    A type of wine cooler (“a piece of equipment used to keep wine chilled”) shaped like a sarcophagus (sense 1).
  4. 4
    A kind of limestone used by the Ancient Greeks for coffins, so called because it was thought to consume the flesh of corpses.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]his (venter impiorum inſaturabilis [the insatiable belly of the wicked]) in foure & tvventie houres conſumes many carkaſſes of Fiſhes and Fovvles, and generally tvvice a day all the fleſh therein interred; ſo true a Sarcophagus is the belly: […]
  2. One meets vvith many other Figures of Meleager in the ancient Baſſo Relievo's, and on the Sides of the Sarcophagi, or Funeral Monuments.

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Latin sarcophagus (“grave; sarcophagus; flesh-eating, carnivorous”), from Ancient Greek σᾰρκοφᾰ́γος (sărkophắgos, “sarcophagus; flesh-eating, carnivorous”) (so named from λῐ́θος σᾰρκοφᾰ́γος (lĭ́thos sărkophắgos, literally “flesh-eating stone”) a type of limestone found at Assos in Troas (now Behramkale, Turkey) thought to consume the flesh of corpses, and thus used to make coffins), from σαρκός (sarkós) (the genitive form of σάρξ (sárx, “flesh; body”), from Proto-Indo-European *twerḱ- (“to carve; to cut off, trim”)) + -φάγος (-phágos, suffix meaning ‘eater (of); eating’) (from ἔφαγον (éphagon, “to devour, eat”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g- (“to allot, distribute; to divide”)). The plural form sarcophagi is borrowed from Latin sarcophagī. The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

sarcófago(Español)sarcophage(Français)Sarkophag(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asrcophagus
  • sacrophagus
  • sarccophagus
  • sarcohpagus
  • sarcopahgus
  • sarcophaggus
  • sarcophagsu
  • sarcophaguss
  • sarcophaugs
  • sarcophgaus
  • sarcophhagus
  • sarcopphagus
  • sarcpohagus
  • sarocphagus
  • sarrcophagus
  • sracophagus
  • ssarcophagus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asrcophagus2sacrophagus2sarccophagus1sarcohpagus2sarcopahgus2sarcophaggus1sarcophagsu2sarcophaguss1
Edit distance from "sarcophagus"

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 "sarcophagus"?
"sarcophagus" is spelled S-A-R-C-O-P-H-A-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs/.
What does "sarcophagus" mean?
As a noun, "sarcophagus" means: A stone coffin, often with its exterior inscribed, or decorated with sculpture.
What are common misspellings of "sarcophagus"?
Common misspellings include "asrcophagus", "sacrophagus", "sarccophagus", "sarcohpagus", "sarcopahgus". The correct spelling is "sarcophagus".
How do you pronounce "sarcophagus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sarcophagus" is /sɑːˈkɒfəɡəs/. 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 "sarcophagus"?
The noun is borrowed from Latin sarcophagus (“grave; sarcophagus; flesh-eating, carnivorous”), from Ancient Greek σᾰρκοφᾰ́γος (sărkophắgos, “sarcophagus; flesh-eating, carnivorous”) (so named from λῐ́θος σᾰρκοφᾰ́γος (lĭ́thos sărkophắgos, literally... 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 "sarcophagus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Schenectady#37,673repatriated#37,656stereotyped#37,708submersible#37,715

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

presbytery17 variantsomnipresent17 variantsnewsworthy17 variantsunapologetic17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list