sorcery

/ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/

//ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi// noun

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

"sorcery" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sorcery” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,317. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,317
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sorcery · sorcery · English

sorcery · rank #24,317 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,317
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sorcerer

Nearest frequency peer: sorcerer (-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 “sorcery”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sorcery” 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).

sorcery vs sorry
71% similar
sorcery vs sorely
71% similar
sorcery vs surgery
71% similar

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

Key facts for sorcery
PropertyValue
Headwordsorcery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,317
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sorcery”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sorcerylands 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 “sorcerer” (#24,316), “spades” (#24,318), “someplace” (#24,315). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sorcery” is #24,317. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sorcery (IPA /ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,317 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sorcery, with forms such as "osrcery", "socrery", and "sorccery". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "sorry", "sorely", "surgery", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sorcery, borrowed from Middle French sorcerie, ultimately derived from Latin sors (“fate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”). Cognate with serō, seriēs, sermō. Compare also French sorcier. The correct English form is sorcery, spelled S-O-R-C-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.
  2. 2
    Black magic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The tale is full of magic and sorcery.
  2. In the Middle Ages, people were often accused of practicing sorcery.

Etymology

From Middle English sorcery, borrowed from Middle French sorcerie, ultimately derived from Latin sors (“fate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”). Cognate with serō, seriēs, sermō. Compare also French sorcier.

This word in other languages

brujería(Español)sorcellerie(Français)Zauberei(Deutsch)feitiçaria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osrcery
  • socrery
  • sorccery
  • sorcerry
  • sorceryy
  • sorceyr
  • sorcrey
  • sorecry
  • sorrcery
  • srocery
  • ssorcery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osrcery2socrery2sorccery1sorcerry1sorceryy1sorceyr2sorcrey2sorecry2
Edit distance from "sorcery"

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 "sorcery"?
"sorcery" is spelled S-O-R-C-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/.
What does "sorcery" mean?
As a noun, "sorcery" means: Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.
What words are commonly confused with "sorcery"?
"sorcery" is commonly confused with "sorry", "sorely", "surgery". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sorcery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sorcery" is /ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/. 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 "sorcery"?
From Middle English sorcery, borrowed from Middle French sorcerie, ultimately derived from Latin sors (“fate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”). Cognate with serō, seriēs, sermō. Compare also French sorcier. 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 "sorcery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

slicing#24,313shoulda#24,308shocker#24,307ranting#24,289

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Saratoga11 variantsthinning11 variantsproverb11 variantsventing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list