savage

/ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈsævɪd͡ʒ// adj

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

"savage" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“savage” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,616. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,616
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Wild; not cultivated or tamed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-savage · savage · English

savage · rank #6,616 · 8 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,616
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH ruth

Nearest frequency peer: ruth (-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 “savage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “savage” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

savage vs save
67% similar
savage vs stage
67% similar
savage vs sewage
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for savage
PropertyValue
Headwordsavage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,616
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “savage”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).savagelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ruth” (#6,615), “rhythm” (#6,614), “shook” (#6,618). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “savage” is #6,616. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around savage (IPA /ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,616 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for savage, with forms such as "asvage", "saavge", and "savaeg". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "save", "stage", "sewage", 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 savage, from Old French sauvage, salvage (“wild, untamed”), from Late Latin salvāticus, alteration of Latin silvāticus (“wild”, literally “of the woods”), from silva (“forest; grove”). Doublet of sylvatic. The correct English form is savage, spelled S-A-V-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wild; not cultivated or tamed.
  2. 2
    Barbaric; not civilized.
  3. 3
    Primitive; lacking complexity or sophistication.
  4. 4
    Fierce and ferocious.
  5. 5
    Brutal, vicious, or merciless.
  6. 6
    Of an insult or person: disrespectful, audacious, and either blunt or sarcastic, in a hilarious way.
  7. 7
    Unpleasant or unfair.
  8. 8
    Great, brilliant, amazing.
  9. 9
    Severe, rude, aggressive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a savage wilderness
  2. a savage forest

Etymology

From Middle English savage, from Old French sauvage, salvage (“wild, untamed”), from Late Latin salvāticus, alteration of Latin silvāticus (“wild”, literally “of the woods”), from silva (“forest; grove”). Doublet of sylvatic.

Synonyms

animalisticbarbarianbarbaricbarbariousbarbarousbrutalbrutishGothicGothlikeheathenheathenishheathenlyheathenousincivilpagansavagetenebrosetruculentunciviluncivilizeduncouthuncultivateduncultureduplandishwolfish

Antonyms

civilizedculturednon-barbaricnonbarbarousnonheathennonpaganunbarbarousunheathenunpaganunsavage

This word in other languages

salvaje(Español)barbare(Français)wild(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asvage
  • saavge
  • savaeg
  • savagge
  • savgae
  • savvage
  • ssavage
  • svaage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asvage2saavge2savaeg2savagge1savgae2savvage1ssavage1svaage2
Edit distance from "savage"

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 "savage"?
"savage" is spelled S-A-V-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "savage" mean?
As an adjective, "savage" means: Wild; not cultivated or tamed.
What words are commonly confused with "savage"?
"savage" is commonly confused with "save", "stage", "sewage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "savage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "savage" is /ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "savage"?
From Middle English savage, from Old French sauvage, salvage (“wild, untamed”), from Late Latin salvāticus, alteration of Latin silvāticus (“wild”, literally “of the woods”), from silva (“forest; grove”). Doublet of sylvatic. 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 "savage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rhythm#6,614retire#6,613ranges#6,611rabbit#6,609

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

stack8 variantsWallace8 variantsgraph8 variantsblows8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list