sent

/sɛnt/

//sɛnt// verb

"sent" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sent” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #722 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#722
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - simple past and past participle of send

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sent vs set
75% similar
sent vs son
50% similar
sent vs sex
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for sent
PropertyValue
Headwordsent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/sɛnt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#722
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sent” 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). sent lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sent is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɛnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #722 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "simple past and past participle of send".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for sent, with forms such as "esnt", "sennt", and "sentt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "set", "son", "sex", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From send + -t. See send. The correct English form is sent, spelled S-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of send

Etymology

From send + -t. See send.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: esnt,sennt,sentt,setn,snet,ssent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

esnt2sennt1sentt1setn2snet2ssent1
Edit distance from "sent"

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 "sent"?
"sent" is spelled S-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛnt/.
What does "sent" mean?
As a verb, "sent" means: simple past and past participle of send
What words are commonly confused with "sent"?
"sent" is commonly confused with "set", "son", "sex". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sent" is /sɛnt/. 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 "sent"?
From send + -t. See send. 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 “sent”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɛnt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “set” - see the side-by-side comparison. sent vs set
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list