soothsayer

/ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/

//ˈsuθˌseɪɚ// noun

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

"soothsayer" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“soothsayer” is uncommon English (frequency #75,432 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,432
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-soothsayer · soothsayer · English

soothsayer · rank #75,432 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,432
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Somoza

Nearest frequency peer: Somoza (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “soothsayer”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “soothsayer” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for soothsayer
PropertyValue
Headwordsoothsayer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#75,432
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “soothsayer” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Somoza” (#75,431), “Solway” (#75,430), “spasticity” (#75,434). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “soothsayer” is #75,432. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

soothsayer is uncommon English at frequency #75,432 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for soothsayer, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sothsaier, zothziggere, by surface analysis, sooth (“truth”) + sayer. The correct English form is soothsayer, spelled S-O-O-T-H-S-A-Y-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.
  2. 2
    A mantis (Mantodea spp.)
  3. 3
    One who tells the truth; a truthful person.
  4. 4
    A double dart moth (Graphiphora augur).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is a great pleasure to be with you today and to speak to you concerning the future of medicine. In so doing, I do not wish to pose as a soothsayer or crystal gazer.
  2. The past twenty years have seen their share of soothsayers ready to predict with conviction one extreme or another of the alternative futures I have presented.

Etymology

From Middle English sothsaier, zothziggere, by surface analysis, sooth (“truth”) + sayer.

This word in other languages

adivino(Español)prophète(Français)Seher(Deutsch)adivinha(Português)

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 "soothsayer"?
"soothsayer" is spelled S-O-O-T-H-S-A-Y-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/.
What does "soothsayer" mean?
As a noun, "soothsayer" means: One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.
How do you pronounce "soothsayer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "soothsayer" is /ˈsuθˌseɪɚ/. 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 "soothsayer"?
From Middle English sothsaier, zothziggere, by surface analysis, sooth (“truth”) + sayer. 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 "soothsayer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spasticity#75,434smokestack#75,426smallmouth#75,424strictness#75,453

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list