sergeant

/ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/

//ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt// noun

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

"sergeant" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sergeant” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,010. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,010
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sergeant · sergeant · English

sergeant · rank #6,010 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,010
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH selfish

Nearest frequency peer: selfish (-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 “sergeant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sergeant” 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).

sergeant vs servant
75% similar
sergeant vs serpent
75% similar
sergeant vs Sargent
63% similar

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

Key facts for sergeant
PropertyValue
Headwordsergeant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,010
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sergeant”

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).sergeantlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “selfish” (#6,009), “silk” (#6,011), “restoration” (#6,008). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sergeant” is #6,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sergeant (IPA /ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,010 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sergeant, with forms such as "esrgeant", "segreant", and "seregant". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "servant", "serpent", "Sargent", 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 sergeant, sergeaunt, serjent, serjaunt, serjawnt, sergant, from Old French sergeant, sergent, serjant, sergient, sergant (“sergeant, servant”), from Medieval Latin servientem, accusative of serviēns (“a servant, vassal, soldier, apparito… The correct English form is sergeant, spelled S-E-R-G-E-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
  2. 2
    The highest rank of noncommissioned officer in some non-naval military forces and police.
  3. 3
    A lawyer of the highest rank, equivalent to the doctor of civil law.
  4. 4
    A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign.
  5. 5
    A bailiff.
  6. 6
    A servant in monastic offices.
  7. 7
    A fish, the píntano (Abudefduf saxatilis), a species of damselfish.
  8. 8
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Athyma; distinct from the false sergeants.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant.
  2. All other sergeants and barristers indiscriminately (except in the Court of Common Pleas, where only sergeants are admitted) may take upon them the protection and defense of any suitors.

Etymology

From Middle English sergeant, sergeaunt, serjent, serjaunt, serjawnt, sergant, from Old French sergeant, sergent, serjant, sergient, sergant (“sergeant, servant”), from Medieval Latin servientem, accusative of serviēns (“a servant, vassal, soldier, apparitor”), from Latin serviēns (“serving”), present participle of serviō (“serve, be a slave to”). Doublet of servant and servient. The shift from /vj/ > /dʒ/ was a regular development in Old French. Compare cavea > cage, salvia > sage. The fish is so called because of its stripes, supposed to resemble a sergeant's insignia of rank. The pronunciation with /ɑɹ/ is due to a widespread development of Middle English er + consonant (see barn, start etc.). In sergeant, the spelling was standardised in one way, the pronunciation in another (compare clerk, derby in Commonwealth English, further parson vs. person, and varsity vs. university).

This word in other languages

sargento(Español)sergent(Français)Stabsunteroffizier(Deutsch)sargento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esrgeant
  • segreant
  • seregant
  • sergaent
  • sergeannt
  • sergeantt
  • sergeatn
  • sergenat
  • serggeant
  • serrgeant
  • sregeant
  • ssergeant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sergeant - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

esrgeant2segreant2seregant2sergaent2sergeannt1sergeantt1sergeatn2sergenat2
Edit distance from "sergeant"

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 "sergeant"?
"sergeant" is spelled S-E-R-G-E-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/.
What does "sergeant" mean?
As a noun, "sergeant" means: A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
What words are commonly confused with "sergeant"?
"sergeant" is commonly confused with "servant", "serpent", "Sargent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sergeant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sergeant" is /ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/. 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 "sergeant"?
From Middle English sergeant, sergeaunt, serjent, serjaunt, serjawnt, sergant, from Old French sergeant, sergent, serjant, sergient, sergant (“sergeant, servant”), from Medieval Latin servientem, accusative of serviēns (“a servant, vassal, soldier... 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 "sergeant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

archives#6,022assisted#6,024pathetic#5,995overview#5,991

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

nowadays12 variantsneighbor12 variantscycling12 variantskeyboard12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list