# sepia

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsiːpiə/ · frequency rank #38,157

## Definitions
1. A dark brown pigment made from the secretions of the cuttlefish.
2. A dark, slightly reddish, brown colour.
3. A sepia-coloured drawing or photograph.
4. A cuttlefish.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sēpia (“cuttlefish”), from Ancient Greek σηπία (sēpía). Cognate with Italian seppia, Portuguese siba, and Spanish sepia.

## Easily confused with
- **spa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-spa)
- **sia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sia)
- **spin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-spin)
- **sept** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sept)
- **spit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-spit)
- **Sera** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sera)
- **Seri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-seri)
- **SETI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-seti)
- **Syria** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-syria)
- **Sofia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sofia)
- **Sonia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sonia)
- **serie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-serie)
- **supra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-supra)
- **serra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-serra)
- **spina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-spina)
- **serif** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-serif)
- **serial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-serial)
- **Serbia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-serbia)
- **Sophia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sophia)
- **septic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-septic)

## Common misspellings (6)
`espia`, `seipa`, `sepai`, `seppia`, `speia`, `ssepia`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sepia