sloth

/sləʊθ/

//sləʊθ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sloth” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,579. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,579
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Laziness; slowness in the mindset; disinclination to action or labour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sloth · sloth · English

sloth · rank #25,579 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,579
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH skunk

Nearest frequency peer: skunk (-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 “sloth”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sloth” 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).

sloth vs sth
60% similar
sloth vs sot
60% similar
sloth vs spot
60% similar

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

Key facts for sloth
PropertyValue
Headwordsloth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sləʊθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#25,579
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sloth”

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).slothlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “skunk” (#25,578), “slowdown” (#25,580), “sine” (#25,577). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sloth” is #25,579. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sloth (IPA /sləʊθ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,579 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sloth, with forms such as "lsoth", "slloth", and "sloht". 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, "sth", "sot", "spot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-West Germanic *slaiwiþu, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow + -th (abstract nominal… The correct English form is sloth, spelled S-L-O-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Laziness; slowness in the mindset; disinclination to action or labour.
  2. 2
    Any animal in the suborder Folivora.
  3. 3
    Any animal in the suborder Folivora.
  4. 4
    A group of bears.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Who having ſpilt much blood, and don much waſte / Subduing Nations, and achievd thereby / Fame in the World, high titles, and rich prey, / Shall change thir courſe to pleaſure, eaſe, and ſloth, / Surfet, and luſt, till wantonneſs and pride / Raiſe out of friendſhip hoſtil deeds in Peace.
  2. Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labour wears.

Etymology

From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-West Germanic *slaiwiþu, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Scots sleuth (“sloth, slowness”).

Synonyms

tardigrade

Antonyms

diligence

This word in other languages

pereza(Español)paresse(Français)Trägheit(Deutsch)preguiça(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsoth
  • slloth
  • sloht
  • slothh
  • slotth
  • sltoh
  • solth
  • ssloth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lsoth2slloth1sloht2slothh1slotth1sltoh2solth2ssloth1
Edit distance from "sloth"

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 "sloth"?
"sloth" is spelled S-L-O-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /sləʊθ/.
What does "sloth" mean?
As a noun, "sloth" means: Laziness; slowness in the mindset; disinclination to action or labour.
What words are commonly confused with "sloth"?
"sloth" is commonly confused with "sth", "sot", "spot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sloth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sloth" is /sləʊθ/. 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 "sloth"?
From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-West Germanic *slaiwiþu, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow + -th (abstra... 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 "sloth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

skunk#25,578sheik#25,572spoof#25,592scant#25,564

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

sensei8 variantsrebuke8 variantsTopeka8 variantsprays8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list