sinew

/ˈsɪnjuː/

//ˈsɪnjuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sinew” is uncommon English (frequency #64,711 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,711
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cord or tendon of the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sinew · sinew · English

sinew · rank #64,711 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,711
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sindhi

Nearest frequency peer: Sindhi (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “sinew”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sinew” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sinew
PropertyValue
Headwordsinew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪnjuː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#64,711
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sinew” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sinewfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Sindhi” (#64,710), “silage” (#64,709), “sisterly” (#64,714). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sinew” is #64,711. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sinew is uncommon English at frequency #64,711 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪnjuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for sinew in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English synwe, synewe (“tendon; ligament or other connective tissue; muscle; nerve; leaf vein”), from Old English sinu (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), from Proto-West Germanic *sinu, from Proto-Germanic *sinwō, *senawō (“sinew”), from Proto-Indo-Europ… The correct English form is sinew, spelled S-I-N-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cord or tendon of the body.
  2. 2
    A cord or string, particularly (music) as of a musical instrument.
  3. 3
    Muscular power, muscle; nerve, nervous energy; vigor, vigorous strength.
  4. 4
    That which gives strength or in which strength consists; a supporting factor or member; mainstay.
  5. 5
    A nerve.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [S]he loſt a noble and renowned brother, in his loue toward her, euer moſt kinde and naturall: with him the portion and ſinew of her fortune, her marriage dowry: with both, her combynate-husband, this well-ſeeming Angelo.
  2. The Bodies of Men, Munition, and Mony may justly be called the ſinews of War, yet of them the two firſt are more neceſſary, for Men and Arms have means to find Mony and Meate: but Mony and Meate cannot ſo eaſily find Soldiers and ſwords.

Etymology

From Middle English synwe, synewe (“tendon; ligament or other connective tissue; muscle; nerve; leaf vein”), from Old English sinu (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), from Proto-West Germanic *sinu, from Proto-Germanic *sinwō, *senawō (“sinew”), from Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥ (“sinew, tendon”), from *(s)neh₁- (“to twist (threads), spin, weave”). The word is cognate with sinnow (“sinew”), Scots senon, sinnon, Saterland Frisian Siene (“sinew”), West Frisian senuw, sine (“sinew; nerve”), Dutch zenuw (“nerve, sinew”), German Sehne (“tendon, sinew; cord”), Icelandic sin (“tendon”), Swedish sena (“sinew”), Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭 (snāuuar, “tendon, sinew”), Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “tendon; nerve; cord”), Latin nervus (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), Sanskrit स्नावन् (snāván, “sinew, tendon; muscle”), Tocharian B ṣñor (“sinew”). Doublet of nerve and neuron.

This word in other languages

Muskelkraft(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 "sinew"?
"sinew" is spelled S-I-N-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪnjuː/.
What does "sinew" mean?
As a noun, "sinew" means: A cord or tendon of the body.
How do you pronounce "sinew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sinew" is /ˈsɪnjuː/. 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 "sinew"?
From Middle English synwe, synewe (“tendon; ligament or other connective tissue; muscle; nerve; leaf vein”), from Old English sinu (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), from Proto-West Germanic *sinu, from Proto-Germanic *sinwō, *senawō (“sinew”), from Proto-... 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 "sinew", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Soong#64,722spect#64,725stang#64,733Sanju#64,683

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list