sombre

/ˈsɒmbə/

//ˈsɒmbə// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sombre” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,523. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,523
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sombre · sombre · English

sombre · rank #35,523 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,523
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH snip

Nearest frequency peer: snip (-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 “sombre”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sombre” 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).

sombre vs some
67% similar
sombre vs sore
67% similar
sombre vs Somme
50% similar

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

Key facts for sombre
PropertyValue
Headwordsombre
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɒmbə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#35,523
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sombre”

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).sombrelands 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 “snip” (#35,522), “Sotheby's” (#35,524), “sneaked” (#35,521). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sombre” is #35,523. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sombre (IPA /ˈsɒmbə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #35,523 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 sombre, with forms such as "osmbre", "smobre", and "sobmre". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "some", "sore", "Somme", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French sombre (“dark”), from Old French sombre, from a verb *sombrer or Latin sub- + umbra. Compare Spanish sombra (“shade; dark part of a picture; ghost”). The correct English form is sombre, spelled S-O-M-B-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit.
  2. 2
    Dull or dark in colour or brightness.
  3. 3
    Melancholic, gloomy, dreary, dismal; grim.
  4. 4
    Grave; extremely serious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The lady led him into a sombre hallway and disappeared. A moment later the windowless chamber was illuminated by the entry of a heavenly creature emitting a radiance prone to pierce the heart of any youth exposed to it.
  2. All three parallel valleys of the Llynvi, Garw and Ogmore are much the same in physical character: the lower reaches are wooded and not unattractive, but as the railway climbs on ever-steepening grades, the hills on either hand grow barer and closer together, while in all respects the scene becomes more sombre, with the terraced, slate-roofed colliery tow…

Etymology

Borrowed from French sombre (“dark”), from Old French sombre, from a verb *sombrer or Latin sub- + umbra. Compare Spanish sombra (“shade; dark part of a picture; ghost”).

This word in other languages

sombrío(Español)sombre(Français)dunkel(Deutsch)escuro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osmbre
  • smobre
  • sobmre
  • sombbre
  • sombrre
  • sommbre
  • somrbe
  • ssombre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osmbre2smobre2sobmre2sombbre1sombrre1sommbre1somrbe2ssombre1
Edit distance from "sombre"

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 "sombre"?
"sombre" is spelled S-O-M-B-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɒmbə/.
What does "sombre" mean?
As an adjective, "sombre" means: Dark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit.
What words are commonly confused with "sombre"?
"sombre" is commonly confused with "some", "sore", "Somme". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sombre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sombre" is /ˈsɒmbə/. 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 "sombre"?
Borrowed from French sombre (“dark”), from Old French sombre, from a verb *sombrer or Latin sub- + umbra. Compare Spanish sombra (“shade; dark part of a picture; ghost”). 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 "sombre", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Shiraz#35,513Shiite#35,512stoker#35,537turnip#35,562

Similar misspelling depth

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

spurt8 variantstryna8 variantsrefuel8 variantsRawls8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list