savory
/ˈseɪ.və.ɹi/adjective, noun
savory is spelled S-A-V-O-R-Y: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “savory vs savoury” about 30 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, savory means “Tasty, attractive to the palate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in savory?
| Letters | 6: S-A-V-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is savory?
Savory appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce savory?
- US /ˈseɪ.və.ɹi/
- US /ˈseɪv.ɹi/
Savory has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-savory.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with savory
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: savoury.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of savory
- savorier comparative
- savoriest superlative
- savoury
- savories plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does savory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
USTasty, attractive to the palate.
The fine restaurant presented an array of savory dishes; each was delicious.
- 2
USEither salty or spicy, but not sweet.
The mushrooms, meat, bread, rice, peanuts and potatoes were all good savory foods.
- 3
USUmami.
The savory rabbit soup contrasted well with the sweet cucumber sandwiches with jam.
- 4
USMorally or ethically acceptable.
Readers are to be warned that quotations in this chapter contain some not so savory language.
noun
- 1
USA savory snack.
- 2
USAny of several Mediterranean herbs, of the genus Satureja, grown as culinary flavourings.
- 3
USThe leaves of these plants used as a flavouring.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Savory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | savoureux, délicieux , salé , sarriette |
| German | schmackhaft, köstlich, lecker , herzhaft, pikant , Bohnenkraut |
| Portuguese | saboroso, apetitoso, gostoso , salgado, de sal , segurelha |
| Spanish | sabroso , ajedrea |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does savory come from?
From the Middle English savory, savourie, from Old French savouré, from Old French savourer, from Late Latin sapōrāre, from Latin sapor (“taste, flavour”), from sapiō, sapere (“taste of, have a flavour of”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).