slag

/slæɡ/

//slæɡ// noun

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

"slag" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“slag” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,814. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,814
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Waste material from a mine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slag · slag · English

slag · rank #22,814 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,814
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sluts

Nearest frequency peer: sluts (+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 “slag”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slag” 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).

slag vs spa
50% similar
slag vs sly
50% similar
slag vs STA
0% similar

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

Key facts for slag
PropertyValue
Headwordslag
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/slæɡ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#22,814
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slag”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).slaglands 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 “sluts” (#22,815), “signage” (#22,812), “sneeze” (#22,816). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slag” is #22,814. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around slag (IPA /slæɡ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,814 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for slag, with forms such as "lsag", "salg", and "slagg". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "spa", "sly", "STA", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle Low German slagge, slaggen (“slag, dross”), from Old Saxon *slaggo, from Proto-West Germanic *slaggō, from Proto-Germanic *slaggô, from Proto-Germanic *slagōną (“to strike”) + *-gô (diminutive suffix). Compare Middle Low German slāgen (… The correct English form is slag, spelled S-L-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Waste material from a mine.
  2. 2
    Scum that forms on the surface of molten metal.
  3. 3
    Impurities formed and separated out when a metal is smelted from ore; vitrified cinders.
  4. 4
    Hard aggregate remaining as a residue from blast furnaces, sometimes used as a surfacing material.
  5. 5
    Scoria associated with a volcano.
  6. 6
    A prostitute or promiscuous woman; a slut.
  7. 7
    A coward.
  8. 8
    A contemptible person, a scumbag.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After the big village, the scenery had returned to grass and woodland, but this had now given way to ugly mounds of discarded slag. Beyond the slag was a colliery with its machinery and smoking chimney, making the whole area look grim and austere.
  2. 2006, Melisa W. Lai, Michele Burns Ewald, Chapter 95: Silver, Martin J. Wonsiewicz, Karen G. Edmonson, Peter J. Boyle (editors), Goldfrank′s Toxicologic Emergencies, 8th Edition, page 1358, In Asia Minor and on islands in the Aegean Sea, dumps of slag (scum formed by molten metal surface oxidation) demonstrate that silver was being separated from lead as…

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German slagge, slaggen (“slag, dross”), from Old Saxon *slaggo, from Proto-West Germanic *slaggō, from Proto-Germanic *slaggô, from Proto-Germanic *slagōną (“to strike”) + *-gô (diminutive suffix). Compare Middle Low German slāgen (“to strike”), since originally the splinters struck off from the metal by hammering, from *slagōn, from Proto-West Germanic *slagōn. Compare also Old Saxon slegi, from Proto-West Germanic *slagi. See also Dutch slak, German Schlacke, Swedish slagg; also compare English slay.

This word in other languages

escoria(Español)scorie(Français)Abraum(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsag
  • salg
  • slagg
  • slga
  • sllag
  • sslag

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lsag2salg2slagg1slga2sllag1sslag1
Edit distance from "slag"

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 "slag"?
"slag" is spelled S-L-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is /slæɡ/.
What does "slag" mean?
As a noun, "slag" means: Waste material from a mine.
What words are commonly confused with "slag"?
"slag" is commonly confused with "spa", "sly", "STA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slag" is /slæɡ/. 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 "slag"?
Borrowed from Middle Low German slagge, slaggen (“slag, dross”), from Old Saxon *slaggo, from Proto-West Germanic *slaggō, from Proto-Germanic *slaggô, from Proto-Germanic *slagōną (“to strike”) + *-gô (diminutive suffix). Compare Middle Low Germa... 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 "slag", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Roxy#22,802Romo#22,799Suez#22,829swag#22,833

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

perk6 variantszest6 variantsnutty6 variantsallege6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list