sibyl

/ˈsɪ.bəl/

//ˈsɪ.bəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sibyl” is uncommon English (frequency #56,437 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,437
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A pagan female oracle or prophetess, especially the Cumaean sibyl.

Key facts for sibyl
PropertyValue
Headwordsibyl
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪ.bəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#56,437
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sibyl” 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). sibyl lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sibyl is uncommon English at frequency #56,437 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪ.bəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A pagan female oracle or prophetess, especially the Cumaean sibyl.".

Zero misspellings are on record for sibyl in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Sibylla, from Ancient Greek Σίβυλλα (Síbulla). The correct English form is sibyl, spelled S-I-B-Y-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pagan female oracle or prophetess, especially the Cumaean sibyl.

Etymology

From Latin Sibylla, from Ancient Greek Σίβυλλα (Síbulla).

This word in other languages

sibila(Español)sibylle(Français)Sibylle(Deutsch)

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 "sibyl"?
"sibyl" is spelled S-I-B-Y-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪ.bəl/.
What does "sibyl" mean?
As a noun, "sibyl" means: A pagan female oracle or prophetess, especially the Cumaean sibyl.
How do you pronounce "sibyl"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sibyl" is /ˈsɪ.bəl/. 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 "sibyl"?
From Latin Sibylla, from Ancient Greek Σίβυλλα (Síbulla). 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 “sibyl”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-I-B-Y-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɪ.bəl/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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