sodomy

/ˈsɒdəmi/

//ˈsɒdəmi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sodomy” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,593. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,593
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several forms of sexual intercourse held to be unnatural, particularly bestiality or homosexuality, but also (sometimes) anal, oral, or manual sex.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sodomy · sodomy · English

sodomy · rank #30,593 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,593
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH snob

Nearest frequency peer: snob (-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 “sodomy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sodomy” 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).

sodomy vs Sonoma
50% similar
sodomy vs Sodom
67% similar

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

Key facts for sodomy
PropertyValue
Headwordsodomy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɒdəmi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,593
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sodomy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sodomylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “snob” (#30,592), “soe” (#30,594), “Snape” (#30,591). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sodomy” is #30,593. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around sodomy (IPA /ˈsɒdəmi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,593 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sodomy, with forms such as "osdomy", "sdoomy", and "soddomy". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Sonoma", "Sodom", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Sodom, where the Bible, in Genesis chapters 18 and 19 and elsewhere, suggests sexual depravity. The correct English form is sodomy, spelled S-O-D-O-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several forms of sexual intercourse held to be unnatural, particularly bestiality or homosexuality, but also (sometimes) anal, oral, or manual sex.
  2. 2
    Anal sex.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mr. Shakur and his road manager, Charles Fuller, 24, were convicted Dec. 1 of first-degree sexual abuse, but they were acquitted of weapons and sodomy charges.
  2. On March 3, in the ocean off Hai-feng County, the pirates robbed a fishing junk, and captured Hsu-ch’iung whom crew member Ssu T’ien forced to commit sodomy. On March 11 in a bay in Hsin-an County, they robbed another t’o-feng vessel, captured and imprisoned Tan Se-chin and Tan Ya-pang and forced them to gather firewood.

Etymology

From Sodom, where the Bible, in Genesis chapters 18 and 19 and elsewhere, suggests sexual depravity.

Synonyms

bestialityzoophiliazoosexualityhomosexualityanal sexbuggeryenculadeoral sex

This word in other languages

sodomía(Español)sodomie(Français)Sodomie(Deutsch)sodomia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osdomy
  • sdoomy
  • soddomy
  • sodmoy
  • sodommy
  • sodomyy
  • sodoym
  • soodmy
  • ssodomy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osdomy2sdoomy2soddomy1sodmoy2sodommy1sodomyy1sodoym2soodmy2
Edit distance from "sodomy"

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 "sodomy"?
"sodomy" is spelled S-O-D-O-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɒdəmi/.
What does "sodomy" mean?
As a noun, "sodomy" means: Any of several forms of sexual intercourse held to be unnatural, particularly bestiality or homosexuality, but also (sometimes) anal, oral, or manual sex.
What words are commonly confused with "sodomy"?
"sodomy" is commonly confused with "Sonoma", "Sodom". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sodomy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sodomy" is /ˈsɒdəmi/. 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 "sodomy"?
From Sodom, where the Bible, in Genesis chapters 18 and 19 and elsewhere, suggests sexual depravity. 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 "sodomy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sonnet#30,598talker#30,614Talmud#30,615tether#30,619

Similar misspelling depth

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

rectum9 variantsradiate9 variantsutilise9 variantsvermin9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list