serene

/səˈɹi(ː)n/

//səˈɹi(ː)n// adj

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

"serene" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“serene” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,490. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,490
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Calm, peaceful, unruffled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-serene · serene · English

serene · rank #20,490 · 8 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,490
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH seminal

Nearest frequency peer: seminal (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “serene”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “serene” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

serene vs seven
67% similar
serene vs serve
67% similar
serene vs spree
67% similar

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

Key facts for serene
PropertyValue
Headwordserene
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səˈɹi(ː)n/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,490
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “serene”

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).serenelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “seminal” (#20,489), “ses” (#20,491), “sectarian” (#20,488). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “serene” is #20,490. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around serene (IPA /səˈɹi(ː)n/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,490 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for serene, with forms such as "esrene", "seerne", and "sereen". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "seven", "serve", "spree", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, borrowed from Latin serēnus (“clear, cloudless, untroubled”). The correct English form is serene, spelled S-E-R-E-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Calm, peaceful, unruffled.
  2. 2
    Without worry or anxiety; unaffected by disturbance.
  3. 3
    Fair and unclouded (as of the sky); clear; unobscured.
  4. 4
    Used as part of certain titles, originally to indicate sovereignty or independence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She looked at her students with joviality and a serene mentality.
  2. Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Latin serēnus (“clear, cloudless, untroubled”).

This word in other languages

sereno(Español)serein(Français)gelassen(Deutsch)sereno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esrene
  • seerne
  • sereen
  • serenne
  • sernee
  • serrene
  • sreene
  • sserene

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esrene2seerne2sereen2serenne1sernee2serrene1sreene2sserene1
Edit distance from "serene"

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 "serene"?
"serene" is spelled S-E-R-E-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈɹi(ː)n/.
What does "serene" mean?
As an adjective, "serene" means: Calm, peaceful, unruffled.
What words are commonly confused with "serene"?
"serene" is commonly confused with "seven", "serve", "spree". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "serene"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "serene" is /səˈɹi(ː)n/. 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 "serene"?
From Middle English, borrowed from Latin serēnus (“clear, cloudless, untroubled”). 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 "serene", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sharpe#20,494silica#20,498simmer#20,499smokey#20,500

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Shrek8 variantssnuck8 variantsraccoon8 variantsquaint8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list