slalom

/ˈslɑː.ləm/

//ˈslɑː.ləm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“slalom” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,209. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,209
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The sport of skiing in a zigzag course through gates.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slalom · slalom · English

slalom · rank #25,209 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,209
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sicilian

Nearest frequency peer: Sicilian (-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 “slalom”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slalom” 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).

slalom vs slam
67% similar
slalom vs salon
67% similar
slalom vs Salem
50% similar

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

Key facts for slalom
PropertyValue
Headwordslalom
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈslɑː.ləm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,209
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slalom”

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).slalomlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Sicilian” (#25,208), “smuggle” (#25,210), “sia” (#25,207). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slalom” is #25,209. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around slalom (IPA /ˈslɑː.ləm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,209 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for slalom, with forms such as "lsalom", "sallom", and "slallom". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "slam", "salon", "Salem", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Norwegian sla (“steep, hill side”) and låm (“trail”). The correct English form is slalom, spelled S-L-A-L-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sport of skiing in a zigzag course through gates.
  2. 2
    Any similar activity on other vehicles, including canoes and water skis.
  3. 3
    A course used for the sport of slalom.
  4. 4
    A race or competition wherein participants each perform the sport of slalom.
  5. 5
    Short for autoslalom

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Slalom is her strongest Olympic sport.
  2. The slalom gates are set closer together.

Etymology

From Norwegian sla (“steep, hill side”) and låm (“trail”).

This word in other languages

slalom(Français)Slalom(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsalom
  • sallom
  • slallom
  • slalmo
  • slalomm
  • slaolm
  • sllalom
  • sllaom
  • sslalom

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slalom - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lsalom2sallom2slallom1slalmo2slalomm1slaolm2sllalom1sllaom2
Edit distance from "slalom"

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 "slalom"?
"slalom" is spelled S-L-A-L-O-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslɑː.ləm/.
What does "slalom" mean?
As a noun, "slalom" means: The sport of skiing in a zigzag course through gates.
What words are commonly confused with "slalom"?
"slalom" is commonly confused with "slam", "salon", "Salem". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slalom"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slalom" is /ˈslɑː.ləm/. 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 "slalom"?
From Norwegian sla (“steep, hill side”) and låm (“trail”). 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 "slalom", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

solder#25,212shrewd#25,204sprout#25,219stench#25,221

Similar misspelling depth

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

smuggle9 variantsshunned9 variantsshudder9 variantsSanjay9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list