Satan
/ˈseɪ.tən/
"satan" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Satan” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,970 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #7,970
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil; (Theistic Satanism) the same figure, regarded as a deity to be revered and worshipped.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Satan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈseɪ.tən/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #7,970 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Satan” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Satan is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈseɪ.tən/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,970 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Satan, with forms such as "astan", "saatn", and "satann". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "STA", "stay", "star", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Sathan, Satan, from Old English Satan, from Latin Satan, from Ancient Greek Σατάν (Satán), from Hebrew שָׂטָן (satán, “adversary, accuser”) and Arabic شَيْطَان (šayṭān, “satan, devil”). Doublet of shaitan. The correct English form is Satan, spelled S-A-T-A-N.
Definition
- 1The supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil; (Theistic Satanism) the same figure, regarded as a deity to be revered and worshipped.
- 2A person or animal regarded as particularly malignant, detestable, or evil; used as an epithet or as a name for an animal.
Etymology
From Middle English Sathan, Satan, from Old English Satan, from Latin Satan, from Ancient Greek Σατάν (Satán), from Hebrew שָׂטָן (satán, “adversary, accuser”) and Arabic شَيْطَان (šayṭān, “satan, devil”). Doublet of shaitan.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: astan,saatn,satann,sattan,ssatan,staan
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Satan - 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.
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
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Using “Satan”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-A-T-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈseɪ.tən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “STA” - see the side-by-side comparison. Satan vs STA
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.