slum

/slʌm/

//slʌm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“slum” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,067. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,067
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dilapidated neighborhood where many people live in a state of poverty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slum · slum · English

slum · rank #21,067 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,067
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sluggish

Nearest frequency peer: sluggish (-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 “slum”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slum” 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).

slum vs su
50% similar
slum vs SM
0% similar
slum vs sun
50% similar

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

Key facts for slum
PropertyValue
Headwordslum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/slʌm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#21,067
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slum”

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).slumlands 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 “sluggish” (#21,066), “smoothie” (#21,068), “slade” (#21,065). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slum” is #21,067. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around slum (IPA /slʌm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,067 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for slum, with forms such as "lsum", "sllum", and "slmu". 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, "su", "SM", "sun", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1812. originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of unknown origin. The correct English form is slum, spelled S-L-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dilapidated neighborhood where many people live in a state of poverty.
  2. 2
    Inexpensive trinkets awarded as prizes in a carnival game.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Go to the half built-upon slums behind Battlebridge […] you will find groups of boys […] squatting in the mud, among the rubbish, the broken bricks, the dust-heaps, and the fragments of timber […]
  2. I saw that most of those who were spending from eight to fifteen pounds monthly had the advantage of scholarships. I had before me examples of much simpler living. I came across a fair number of poor students living more humbly than I. One of them was staying in the slums in a room at two shillings a week and living on two pence worth of cocoa and bread p…

Etymology

First attested in 1812. originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of unknown origin.

Synonyms

barriobad part of townestatefavelaghettoHell's Kitchenjectsprojectsschemeshantytownsink estateslum

This word in other languages

barrio bajo(Español)bidonville(Français)Slum(Deutsch)favela(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsum
  • sllum
  • slmu
  • slumm
  • sslum
  • sulm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lsum2sllum1slmu2slumm1sslum1sulm2
Edit distance from "slum"

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 "slum"?
"slum" is spelled S-L-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /slʌm/.
What does "slum" mean?
As a noun, "slum" means: A dilapidated neighborhood where many people live in a state of poverty.
What words are commonly confused with "slum"?
"slum" is commonly confused with "su", "SM", "sun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slum" is /slʌm/. 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 "slum"?
First attested in 1812. originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of unknown origin. 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 "slum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Shen#21,063shan#21,061stag#21,077Taft#21,091

Similar misspelling depth

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

sauna6 variantssuede6 variantsprod6 variantswigs6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list