selva

/ˈsɛlvə/

//ˈsɛlvə// noun

"selva" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“selva” is uncommon English (frequency #76,313 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,313
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Heavily forested ground in the Amazon basin.

Key facts for selva
PropertyValue
Headwordselva
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛlvə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#76,313
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “selva” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). selva lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

selva is uncommon English at frequency #76,313 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɛlvə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Heavily forested ground in the Amazon basin.".

Zero misspellings are on record for selva in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Portuguese selva, from Latin silva. Doublet of silva. The correct English form is selva, spelled S-E-L-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Heavily forested ground in the Amazon basin.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese selva, from Latin silva. Doublet of silva.

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 "selva"?
"selva" is spelled S-E-L-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛlvə/.
What does "selva" mean?
As a noun, "selva" means: Heavily forested ground in the Amazon basin.
How do you pronounce "selva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "selva" is /ˈsɛlvə/. 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 "selva"?
Borrowed from Portuguese selva, from Latin silva. Doublet of silva. 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.

Using “selva”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-V-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɛlvə/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list