semaphore
/ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/
"semaphore" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“semaphore” is an uncommon English word, ranked #50,220 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #50,220
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any equipment used for visual signalling by means of flags, lights, or mechanically moving arms, which are used to represent letters of the alphabet, or words.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | semaphore |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #50,220 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “semaphore” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for semaphore is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #50,220 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for semaphore in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is borrowed from French sémaphore, from Ancient Greek σῆμα (sêma, “mark, sign, token”) + French -phore (from Ancient Greek -φόρος (-phóros, suffix indicating a bearer or carrier)). By surface analysis, sema- + -phore. The verb is derived from the n… The correct English form is semaphore, spelled S-E-M-A-P-H-O-R-E.
Definition
- 1Any equipment used for visual signalling by means of flags, lights, or mechanically moving arms, which are used to represent letters of the alphabet, or words.
- 2A visual system for transmitting information using the above equipment; especially, by means of two flags held one in each hand, using an alphabetic and numeric code based on the position of the signaller's arms; flag semaphore.
- 3A bit, token, fragment of code, or some other mechanism which is used to restrict access to a shared function or device to a single process at a time, or to synchronize and coordinate events in different processes.
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from French sémaphore, from Ancient Greek σῆμα (sêma, “mark, sign, token”) + French -phore (from Ancient Greek -φόρος (-phóros, suffix indicating a bearer or carrier)). By surface analysis, sema- + -phore. The verb is derived from the noun.
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 “semaphore”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-M-A-P-H-O-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/ (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
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.