Serbian

/ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən/

//ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən// adj

"serbian" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Serbian” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,411 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#14,411
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to Serbia, the Serbian people or their language.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Serbian vs serial
57% similar
Serbian vs Syrian
71% similar
Serbian vs Serbia
86% similar

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

Key facts for Serbian
PropertyValue
HeadwordSerbian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,411
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Serbian” 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). Serbian 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 Serbian is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,411 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Of or pertaining to Serbia, the Serbian people or their language.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Serbian, with forms such as "esrbian", "sebrian", and "serbain". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "serial", "Syrian", "Serbia", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Serb + -ian or Serbia + -an. The correct English form is Serbian, spelled S-E-R-B-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to Serbia, the Serbian people or their language.

Etymology

From Serb + -ian or Serbia + -an.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: esrbian,sebrian,serbain,serbbian,serbiann,serbina,seriban,serrbian,srebian,sserbian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Serbian - 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.

esrbian2sebrian2serbain2serbbian1serbiann1serbina2seriban2serrbian1
Edit distance from "Serbian"

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 "Serbian"?
"Serbian" is spelled S-E-R-B-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən/.
What does "Serbian" mean?
As an adjective, "Serbian" means: Of or pertaining to Serbia, the Serbian people or their language.
What words are commonly confused with "Serbian"?
"Serbian" is commonly confused with "serial", "Syrian", "Serbia". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Serbian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Serbian" is /ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən/. 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 "Serbian"?
From Serb + -ian or Serbia + -an. 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 “Serbian”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-R-B-I-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɜː(ɹ)biːən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “serial” - see the side-by-side comparison. Serbian vs serial
  • 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