sepal
/ˈsɛp(ə)l/
"sepal" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sepal” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the component parts of the calyx, particularly when such components are not fused into a single structure.
Corpus desk
Index EN-sepal · sepal · English
sepal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "S" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sepal |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɛp(ə)l/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “sepal” in English
Rare enough to double-check
sepal is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɛp(ə)l/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "One of the component parts of the calyx, particularly when such components are not fused into a single structure.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for sepal, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French sépale, from New Latin sepalum. The correct English form is sepal, spelled S-E-P-A-L.
Definition
- 1One of the component parts of the calyx, particularly when such components are not fused into a single structure.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how sepal appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1836, The Family Magazine, Or Monthly Abstract of General Knowledge, Volume III, Redfield & Lindsay, page 367, When the sepals are distinct, or separate from each other, the calyx is said to be polysepalous.
The sepal and the petal are essentially leaf-like in form and anatomy but generally simpler in detailed structure than a foliage leaf.
Etymology
From French sépale, from New Latin sepalum.
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.