slaw

/slɔː/

//slɔː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“slaw” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,911. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,911
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Coleslaw.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slaw · slaw · English

slaw · rank #47,911 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,911
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sinbad

Nearest frequency peer: Sinbad (-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 “slaw”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slaw” 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).

slaw vs SW
0% similar
slaw vs spa
50% similar
slaw vs sly
50% similar

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

Key facts for slaw
PropertyValue
Headwordslaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/slɔː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#47,911
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slaw”

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).slawlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Sinbad” (#47,910), “smokescreen” (#47,913), “sidestep” (#47,908). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slaw” is #47,911. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around slaw (IPA /slɔː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,911 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Coleslaw.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for slaw, with forms such as "lsaw", "salw", and "slaww". 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, "SW", "spa", "sly", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed (around 1861) from Dutch sla, shortened from salade (“salad, lettuce”). The correct English form is slaw, spelled S-L-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Coleslaw.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Barbecue is always served with slaw in North Carolina and always has been.
  2. My boss, whose daughter was a working chef, told me that I made the best slaws that she had ever tasted. The secret is that slaws deserve as much care in their preparation as any other good meal.

Etymology

Borrowed (around 1861) from Dutch sla, shortened from salade (“salad, lettuce”).

This word in other languages

curtida(Español)Krautsalat(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsaw
  • salw
  • slaww
  • sllaw
  • slwa
  • sslaw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slaw - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

lsaw2salw2slaww1sllaw1slwa2sslaw1
Edit distance from "slaw"

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 "slaw"?
"slaw" is spelled S-L-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /slɔː/.
What does "slaw" mean?
As a noun, "slaw" means: Coleslaw.
What words are commonly confused with "slaw"?
"slaw" is commonly confused with "SW", "spa", "sly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slaw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slaw" is /slɔː/. 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 "slaw"?
Borrowed (around 1861) from Dutch sla, shortened from salade (“salad, lettuce”). 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 "slaw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

SCSI#47,892Ruhr#47,879Rong#47,876TAFE#47,951

Similar misspelling depth

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

Sauer6 variantsreiki6 variantsThun6 variantsUriel6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list