slang
/ˈslæŋ/
"slang" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“slang” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,023 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,023
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | slang |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈslæŋ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #14,023 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “slang” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for slang is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈslæŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,023 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for slang, with forms such as "lsang", "salng", and "slagn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "song", "span", "stan", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelan… The correct English form is slang, spelled S-L-A-N-G.
Definition
- 1Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
- 2Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
- 3The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
- 4A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
- 5An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
- 6A curse word.
Etymology
First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk slengja, Norwegian slenge, Swedish slänga (“to (carelessly) sling, throw, hurl; throw away, to dispose of; to flail”), with derivational nouns such as slæng, sleng, släng etc. Compare the compound: Danish slængenavn, Norwegian slengenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn, Swedish slängnamn (“nickname, byname, informal name”, literally “sling-name”), and the phrases: Norwegian Nynorsk slengja kjeften, Swedish slänga käften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jowl”), Swedish slänga ur sig (“to say something hastily, carelessly, thoughtlessly”, literally “to throw out of oneself”), also Swedish (regional) slänga (“careless, nonchalant girl”, literally “sling + feminine suffix -a”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lsang,salng,slagn,slangg,slanng,sllang,slnag,sslang
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slang - 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.
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
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Using “slang”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-L-A-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈslæŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “song” - see the side-by-side comparison. slang vs song
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.