sepoy

/ˈsiːˌpɔɪ/

//ˈsiːˌpɔɪ// noun

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

"sepoy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sepoy” is uncommon English (frequency #84,734 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,734
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A native soldier of the East Indies, employed in the service of a European colonial power, notably the British India army (first under the British-chartered East India Company, later in the crown c...

Corpus desk

Index EN-sepoy · sepoy · English

sepoy · rank #84,734 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,734
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH semiannual

Nearest frequency peer: semiannual (-3 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “sepoy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sepoy” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sepoy
PropertyValue
Headwordsepoy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsiːˌpɔɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#84,734
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sepoy” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sepoyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “semiannual” (#84,731), “selloff” (#84,730), “shabu” (#84,738). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sepoy” is #84,734. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sepoy is uncommon English at frequency #84,734 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsiːˌpɔɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

sepoy has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Portuguese sipae, from Urdu سِپاہی (sipāhī) / Hindi सिपाही (sipāhī), from Classical Persian سِپَاهِی (sipāhī, “soldier, horseman”), from سِپَاه (sipāh, “army”). Doublet of spahi and sipahi. The correct English form is sepoy, spelled S-E-P-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A native soldier of the East Indies, employed in the service of a European colonial power, notably the British India army (first under the British-chartered East India Company, later in the crown colony), but also France and Portugal.
  2. 2
    The holder of an infantry enlisted rank equivalent to private in other countries.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sepoy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. If our door were in the hands of the Sepoys the place must fall, and the women and children be treated as they were in Cawnpore.
  2. They proved to be the wives of a body of sepoys, also from the 5th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry; the sepoys had perished, and their families been enslaved, when their pattamar had been captured by the Qawasim some months before.

Etymology

From Portuguese sipae, from Urdu سِپاہی (sipāhī) / Hindi सिपाही (sipāhī), from Classical Persian سِپَاهِی (sipāhī, “soldier, horseman”), from سِپَاه (sipāh, “army”). Doublet of spahi and sipahi.

This word in other languages

cipayo(Español)cipaye(Français)Sepoy(Deutsch)sipaio(Português)

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 "sepoy"?
"sepoy" is spelled S-E-P-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsiːˌpɔɪ/.
What does "sepoy" mean?
As a noun, "sepoy" means: A native soldier of the East Indies, employed in the service of a European colonial power, notably the British India army (first under the British-chartered East India Company, later in the crown c...
How do you pronounce "sepoy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sepoy" is /ˈsiːˌpɔɪ/. 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 "sepoy"?
From Portuguese sipae, from Urdu سِپاہی (sipāhī) / Hindi सिपाही (sipāhī), from Classical Persian سِپَاهِی (sipāhī, “soldier, horseman”), from سِپَاه (sipāh, “army”). Doublet of spahi and sipahi. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sepoy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shabu#84,738slosh#84,758spoor#84,772regio#84,673

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list