scimitar
/ˈsɪmɪtə/
"scimitar" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“scimitar” is uncommon English (frequency #55,085 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #55,085
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sword of Persian origin that features a curved blade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | scimitar |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪmɪtə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #55,085 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “scimitar” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
scimitar is uncommon English at frequency #55,085 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪmɪtə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for scimitar in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1548. From Middle French cimeterre (15c.) or directly from Italian scimitarra, possibly from an unknown Ottoman Turkish word, ultimately from Persian شمشیر (šamšir, “sword”). Doublet of shamshir. The correct English form is scimitar, spelled S-C-I-M-I-T-A-R.
Definition
- 1A sword of Persian origin that features a curved blade.
- 2A long-handled billhook.
Etymology
First attested in 1548. From Middle French cimeterre (15c.) or directly from Italian scimitarra, possibly from an unknown Ottoman Turkish word, ultimately from Persian شمشیر (šamšir, “sword”). Doublet of shamshir.
This word in other languages
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 “scimitar”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-C-I-M-I-T-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪmɪtə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.