sentry

/ˈsɛn.tɹi/

//ˈsɛn.tɹi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"sentry" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sentry” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,240 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#26,240
frequency rank, English
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A guard, particularly on duty at the entrance to a military base.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sentry vs sultry
67% similar
sentry vs sundry
67% similar
sentry vs sent
67% similar

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

Key facts for sentry
PropertyValue
Headwordsentry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɛn.tɹi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,240
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sentry” 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). sentry 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 sentry is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɛn.tɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,240 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sentry, with forms such as "esntry", "senntry", and "senrty". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "sultry", "sundry", "sent", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier sentrie, sentery, of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of sentinel or sanctuary; or perhaps from Old French senteret (“a path”), diminutive of sentier, from Medieval Latin semitarius (“a path”). The correct English form is sentry, spelled S-E-N-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A guard, particularly on duty at the entrance to a military base.
  2. 2
    Sentry duty; time spent being a sentry.
  3. 3
    A form of drag to be towed underwater, which on striking bottom is upset and rises to the surface.
  4. 4
    A watchtower.
  5. 5
    An animal like a marmot tasked with alerting the pack to danger.

Etymology

From earlier sentrie, sentery, of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of sentinel or sanctuary; or perhaps from Old French senteret (“a path”), diminutive of sentier, from Medieval Latin semitarius (“a path”).

Synonyms

kite

This word in other languages

torreón(Español)sentinelle(Français)Wache(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: esntry,senntry,senrty,sentrry,sentryy,senttry,sentyr,setnry,snetry,ssentry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sentry - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

esntry2senntry1senrty2sentrry1sentryy1senttry1sentyr2setnry2
Edit distance from "sentry"

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 "sentry"?
"sentry" is spelled S-E-N-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɛn.tɹi/.
What does "sentry" mean?
As a noun, "sentry" means: A guard, particularly on duty at the entrance to a military base.
What words are commonly confused with "sentry"?
"sentry" is commonly confused with "sultry", "sundry", "sent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sentry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sentry" is /ˈsɛn.tɹi/. 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 "sentry"?
From earlier sentrie, sentery, of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of sentinel or sanctuary; or perhaps from Old French senteret (“a path”), diminutive of sentier, from Medieval Latin semitarius (“a path”). 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 “sentry”

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

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