sellsword
/ˈsɛlˌsɔːd/
"sellsword" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sellsword” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mercenary.
Corpus desk
Index EN-sellsword · sellsword · English
sellsword · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sellsword |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛlˌsɔːd/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “sellsword” in English
Rare enough to double-check
sellsword is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɛlˌsɔːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for sellsword in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From sell + sword. Compare hired gun. The correct English form is sellsword, spelled S-E-L-L-S-W-O-R-D.
Definition
- 1A mercenary.
- 2Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how sellsword appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
One such warrior was Kothar, cast up by the sea in the northlands of his world, a sellsword and a mercenary, a wencher after the women of his day, a freebooter and a thief, at times, whose sword Frostfire was a magic sword.
Your profession always charges high and never guarantees their work. No sellsword would stay alive if he demanded a sorcerer's terms.
Etymology
From sell + sword. Compare hired gun.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.