sisal

/ˈsaɪsəl/

//ˈsaɪsəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sisal” is uncommon English (frequency #76,341 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,341
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Central American plant, Agave sisalana, cultivated for its sword-shaped leaves that yield fibers used for rope.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sisal · sisal · English

sisal · rank #76,341 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,341
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slavish

Nearest frequency peer: slavish (+2 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 “sisal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sisal
PropertyValue
Headwordsisal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsaɪsəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#76,341
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sisal” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sisalfalls 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: “slavish” (#76,343), “signore” (#76,338), “sightedness” (#76,337). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sisal” is #76,341. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sisal is uncommon English at frequency #76,341 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsaɪsəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

sisal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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: Named after Sisal, Yucatán. The correct English form is sisal, spelled S-I-S-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Central American plant, Agave sisalana, cultivated for its sword-shaped leaves that yield fibers used for rope.
  2. 2
    The fibre of the plant.
  3. 3
    A sisal mat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Our bedding consisted of a single sisal or straw mat.

Etymology

Named after Sisal, Yucatán.

This word in other languages

cabuya(Español)Sisal(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 "sisal"?
"sisal" is spelled S-I-S-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪsəl/.
What does "sisal" mean?
As a noun, "sisal" means: A Central American plant, Agave sisalana, cultivated for its sword-shaped leaves that yield fibers used for rope.
How do you pronounce "sisal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sisal" is /ˈsaɪsəl/. 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 "sisal"?
Named after Sisal, Yucatán. 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 "sisal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Staci#76,361selva#76,313Sveta#76,370tatty#76,384

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list