selvage
/ˈsɛlvɪd͡ʒ/
Detailed reference entry for the English word "selvage", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "selvage" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "selvage" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“selvage” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) — The edge of a woven fabric, where the weft (side-to-side) threads run around the warp (top to bottom) threads, creating a finished edge.
Compare similar words
See how selvage compares against similar English words.
Browse all word comparisons →| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | selvage |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛlvɪd͡ʒ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “selvage” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for selvage is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛlvɪd͡ʒ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for selvage in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From early modern Dutch selfegghe (Modern Dutch zelfkant (“selvage”)), equivalent to self + edge. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is selvage, spelled S-E-L-V-A-G-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1The edge of a woven fabric, where the weft (side-to-side) threads run around the warp (top to bottom) threads, creating a finished edge.
- 2Any edge of fabric finished so as to prevent raveling.
- 3The excess area of any printed or perforated sheet, such as the border on a sheet of postage stamps or the wide margins of an engraving.
- 4A distinct border of a mass of igneous rock. It is usually fine-grained or glassy due to rapid cooling.
- 5Clay-like material found along and around a geological fault.
- 6The edge plate of a lock, through which the bolt passes
- 7That part of a lode adjacent to the walls on either side.
Etymology
From early modern Dutch selfegghe (Modern Dutch zelfkant (“selvage”)), equivalent to self + edge.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Cite this page
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:
PlainSpell, “selvage, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/selvage
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Using “selvage”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-L-V-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɛlvɪd͡ʒ/ (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
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index: