seraglio
/səˈɹæljoʊ/
"seraglio" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“seraglio” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A palace of a sultan.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | seraglio |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /səˈɹæljoʊ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “seraglio” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
seraglio is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /səˈɹæljoʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for seraglio, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian serraglio, from Vulgar Latin *serrāculum, from a late form of Latin serāre (“lock up, close”), from sera (“lock, bolt”). The Italian word was used (because of phonetic similarity) to translate Turkish saray (“palace”). Compare serai, serail. The correct English form is seraglio, spelled S-E-R-A-G-L-I-O.
Definition
- 1A palace of a sultan.
- 2A palace of a sultan.
- 3A profligate or decadent residence of a rich person.
- 4The sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines (odalisques) in a Turkish Muslim household.
- 5A brothel or place of debauchery.
- 6An interior cage or enclosed courtyard for keeping wild beasts.
Etymology
From Italian serraglio, from Vulgar Latin *serrāculum, from a late form of Latin serāre (“lock up, close”), from sera (“lock, bolt”). The Italian word was used (because of phonetic similarity) to translate Turkish saray (“palace”). Compare serai, serail.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “seraglio”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-R-A-G-L-I-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /səˈɹæljoʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.