sargasso

/sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/

//sɑːˈɡæsəʊ// noun

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

"sargasso" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sargasso” is uncommon English (frequency #88,811 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,811
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A brown alga, of the genus Sargassum, that forms large, floating masses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sargasso · sargasso · English

sargasso · rank #88,811 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #88,811
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sarkeesian

Nearest frequency peer: Sarkeesian (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “sargasso”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sargasso” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sargasso
PropertyValue
Headwordsargasso
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#88,811
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sargasso” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sargassofalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Sarkeesian” (#88,812), “sater” (#88,813), “sando” (#88,808). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sargasso” is #88,811. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sargasso is uncommon English at frequency #88,811 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for sargasso in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Portuguese sargaço (“(originally) the Lisbon false sun-rose or woolly rock rose (Halimium lasianthum); (now) gulfweed, sargasso”), ultimately from Latin salicastrum (“kind of wild vine found in willow-thickets”), from salix (“plant of the genus Salix; … The correct English form is sargasso, spelled S-A-R-G-A-S-S-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A brown alga, of the genus Sargassum, that forms large, floating masses.
  2. 2
    Also Sargasso: a confused, tangled mass or situation.
  3. 3
    A part of an ocean or sea characterized by floating masses of sargassos, like the Sargasso Sea.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. SARGASSO, the Sea-Lentile.
  2. Thus the productions of Jamaica, and other places bordering on the gulph of Mexico, may be firſt brought by the ſtream out of the gulph, inveloped in the ſargaſſo or alga of the gulph round Cape Florida, and hurried by the current either along the American ſhore, or ſent into the ocean in the courſe along the ſtream, and then by the ſet of the ſtream; and…

Etymology

From Portuguese sargaço (“(originally) the Lisbon false sun-rose or woolly rock rose (Halimium lasianthum); (now) gulfweed, sargasso”), ultimately from Latin salicastrum (“kind of wild vine found in willow-thickets”), from salix (“plant of the genus Salix; willow”) + -astrum (suffix forming nouns expressing incomplete resemblance). Salix is derived from Proto-Indo-European *sl̥H-ik- (“willow”). The English word is cognate with French sargasse, Spanish sargazo. The capitalized form of sense 2 (“a confused, tangled mass or situation”), Sargasso, is probably a reference to the Sargasso Sea.

This word in other languages

sargazo(Español)sargasse(Français)Golftang(Deutsch)sargaço(Português)

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 "sargasso"?
"sargasso" is spelled S-A-R-G-A-S-S-O. The IPA pronunciation is /sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/.
What does "sargasso" mean?
As a noun, "sargasso" means: A brown alga, of the genus Sargassum, that forms large, floating masses.
How do you pronounce "sargasso"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sargasso" is /sɑːˈɡæsəʊ/. 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 "sargasso"?
From Portuguese sargaço (“(originally) the Lisbon false sun-rose or woolly rock rose (Halimium lasianthum); (now) gulfweed, sargasso”), ultimately from Latin salicastrum (“kind of wild vine found in willow-thickets”), from salix (“plant of the gen... 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 "sargasso", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Salafism#88,806severest#88,839returnee#88,778shipmate#88,849

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list