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sorrel

sor·rel/ˈsɔɹəl/noun, adjective

sorrel is spelled S-O-R-R-E-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (sor·rel). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Sorrel, the name). As a noun, sorrel means “Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sorrel is sorrels.

How many letters and syllables are in sorrel?

Letters6: S-O-R-R-E-L
Syllables2: sor·rel
In writingabout once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is sorrel?

Sorrel appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Sorrel, the name.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce sorrel?

  • UK /ˈsɒɹəl/
  • US /ˈsɔɹəl/
  • US /ˈsɑɹəl/

Sorrel has 2 syllables, split sor·rel in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sorrel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with sorrel?

11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sorrel from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹəl/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of sorrel

  • sorrels plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does sorrel mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially

  2. 2

    Rumex acetosa (common sorrel, garden sorrel), sometimes used as a salad vegetable.

  3. 3

    Members of genus Oxalis or family Oxalidaceae, woodsorrels.

  4. 4

    The roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa.

  5. 5

    A drink, consumed especially in the Caribbean around Christmas, made from the flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa: hibiscus tea.

  6. 6

    A brown colour, with a tint of red.

adjective

  1. 1

    Of a brown colour, with a tint of red. (especially: a sorrel horse)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Sorrel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchoseille (plant of genus Rumex), alezan (colour)
GermanAmpfer, Sauerampfer (plant of genus Rumex), Fuchs, fuchsbraun (colour)
Portugueseazeda, acetosa (plant of genus Rumex), canela, alazão (colour)
Spanishacedera común, vinagrera (plant of genus Rumex), alazán (colour)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does sorrel come from?

From Middle English sorel, from Old French sorel, surele (“sorrel”), from Old French sur (“sour”), of Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sūraz (“sour”); equivalent to sour + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare Old English sūre (“sorrel”), Icelandic súra (“sorrel”), Dutch zuring (“dock (plant), sorrel”). More at sour.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after sorrel