sickle

/ˈsɪkl̩/

//ˈsɪkl̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sickle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,996. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,996
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An implement having a semicircular blade and short handle, used for cutting long grass and cereal crops.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sickle · sickle · English

sickle · rank #23,996 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,996
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shutout

Nearest frequency peer: shutout (-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 “sickle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sickle” 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).

sickle vs single
67% similar
sickle vs simple
67% similar
sickle vs sickly
83% similar

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

Key facts for sickle
PropertyValue
Headwordsickle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪkl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,996
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sickle”

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).sicklelands 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 “shutout” (#23,995), “singleton” (#23,997), “shrapnel” (#23,994). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sickle” is #23,996. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around sickle (IPA /ˈsɪkl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,996 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sickle, with forms such as "isckle", "scikle", and "sicckle". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "single", "simple", "sickly", 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 sikel (also assibilated in sichel), from Old English sicol, siċel, from Proto-West Germanic *sikilu, itself borrowed from Latin sēcula (“sickle”) or sīcīlis (“sickle”). Cognate with Dutch sikkel, German Sichel. Remotely related with Engl… The correct English form is sickle, spelled S-I-C-K-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An implement having a semicircular blade and short handle, used for cutting long grass and cereal crops.
  2. 2
    Anything resembling a sickle, especially:
  3. 3
    Anything resembling a sickle, especially:

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Coordinate term: scythe
  2. Lou's not Times foole, though roſie lips and cheeks VVithin his bending ſickles compaſſe come, Loue alters not with his breefe houres and vveekes, But beares it out euen to the edge of doome: If this be error and vpon me proued, I neuer vvrit, nor no man euer loued.

Etymology

From Middle English sikel (also assibilated in sichel), from Old English sicol, siċel, from Proto-West Germanic *sikilu, itself borrowed from Latin sēcula (“sickle”) or sīcīlis (“sickle”). Cognate with Dutch sikkel, German Sichel. Remotely related with English scythe and saw.

This word in other languages

hoz(Español)faucille(Français)Sichel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isckle
  • scikle
  • sicckle
  • sickel
  • sickkle
  • sicklle
  • siclke
  • sikcle
  • ssickle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

isckle2scikle2sicckle1sickel2sickkle1sicklle1siclke2sikcle2
Edit distance from "sickle"

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 "sickle"?
"sickle" is spelled S-I-C-K-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪkl̩/.
What does "sickle" mean?
As a noun, "sickle" means: An implement having a semicircular blade and short handle, used for cutting long grass and cereal crops.
What words are commonly confused with "sickle"?
"sickle" is commonly confused with "single", "simple", "sickly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sickle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sickle" is /ˈsɪkl̩/. 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 "sickle"?
From Middle English sikel (also assibilated in sichel), from Old English sicol, siċel, from Proto-West Germanic *sikilu, itself borrowed from Latin sēcula (“sickle”) or sīcīlis (“sickle”). Cognate with Dutch sikkel, German Sichel. Remotely related... 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 "sickle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Slavic#24,001Sonoma#24,005starry#24,007tardis#24,016

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

settler9 variantsredress9 variantsraving9 variantsraptor9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list