sorghum

/ˈsɔ(ɹ).ɡəm/

//ˈsɔ(ɹ).ɡəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sorghum” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,945. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,945
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cereal, Sorghum genus and species, the grains of which are cultivated to make flour and feed cattle. Almost all cultivated ones as well as some wild ones belong to the species Sorghum bicolor (sy...

Corpus desk

Index EN-sorghum · sorghum · English

sorghum · rank #35,945 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,945
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sona

Nearest frequency peer: sona (-2 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 “sorghum”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sorghum” 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
Key facts for sorghum
PropertyValue
Headwordsorghum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɔ(ɹ).ɡəm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,945
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sorghum”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sorghumlands 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 “sona” (#35,943), “spacer” (#35,947), “Snr” (#35,942). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sorghum” is #35,945. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sorghum (IPA /ˈsɔ(ɹ).ɡəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,945 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 sorghum, with forms such as "osrghum", "sogrhum", and "sorgghum". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin genus name Sorghum, from Italian sorgo, from Vulgar Latin *syricum (“Syrian”), from Sȳricus. Doublet of the synonyms sorgho (via French) and sorgo (via Italian). The correct English form is sorghum, spelled S-O-R-G-H-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cereal, Sorghum genus and species, the grains of which are cultivated to make flour and feed cattle. Almost all cultivated ones as well as some wild ones belong to the species Sorghum bicolor (syn. Sorghum vulgare).
  2. 2
    Sorghum syrup.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1936, Harry Nelson Vinall, Joseph Charlworth Stephens, John Holmes Martin, Identification, History, and Distribution of Common Sorghum Varieties, US Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin No. 506, page 2, The sorghum crop has four uses — forage, grain, sirup, and industrial (such as the manufacture of brooms, wallboard, etc.).
  2. 1978, US Department of Agriculture, Watch out for witchweed, a serious pest of corn, sorghum, and other crops, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Program Number 1212, unnumbered page, Witchweed (Striga spp.) is a parasitic plant that attacks corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, and more than 60 different species of the grass family.

Etymology

From New Latin genus name Sorghum, from Italian sorgo, from Vulgar Latin *syricum (“Syrian”), from Sȳricus. Doublet of the synonyms sorgho (via French) and sorgo (via Italian).

Synonyms

guinea cornkafir cornmtamadurrajuarjowarcholamkaoliangmilofeterita

This word in other languages

zahína(Español)sorgho(Français)Sorghum(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osrghum
  • sogrhum
  • sorgghum
  • sorghhum
  • sorghmu
  • sorghumm
  • sorguhm
  • sorhgum
  • sorrghum
  • sroghum
  • ssorghum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osrghum2sogrhum2sorgghum1sorghhum1sorghmu2sorghumm1sorguhm2sorhgum2
Edit distance from "sorghum"

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 "sorghum"?
"sorghum" is spelled S-O-R-G-H-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɔ(ɹ).ɡəm/.
What does "sorghum" mean?
As a noun, "sorghum" means: A cereal, Sorghum genus and species, the grains of which are cultivated to make flour and feed cattle. Almost all cultivated ones as well as some wild ones belong to the species Sorghum bicolor (sy...
What are common misspellings of "sorghum"?
Common misspellings include "osrghum", "sogrhum", "sorgghum", "sorghhum", "sorghmu". The correct spelling is "sorghum".
How do you pronounce "sorghum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sorghum" is /ˈsɔ(ɹ).ɡəm/. 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 "sorghum"?
From New Latin genus name Sorghum, from Italian sorgo, from Vulgar Latin *syricum (“Syrian”), from Sȳricus. Doublet of the synonyms sorgho (via French) and sorgo (via Italian). 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 "sorghum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

slugger#35,940Shawnee#35,936sprites#35,954stunner#35,960

Similar misspelling depth

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

terracotta11 variantsreentry11 variantsrafting11 variantstrample11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list