sorrel

/ˈsɒɹəl/

//ˈsɒɹəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sorrel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,497. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,497
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially

Corpus desk

Index EN-sorrel · sorrel · English

sorrel · rank #48,497 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,497
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH southwards

Nearest frequency peer: southwards (+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 “sorrel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sorrel” 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).

sorrel vs sorry
67% similar
sorrel vs sorted
67% similar
sorrel vs Surrey
50% similar

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

Key facts for sorrel
PropertyValue
Headwordsorrel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɒɹəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#48,497
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sorrel”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sorrellands 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 “southwards” (#48,498), “sone” (#48,495), “spanner” (#48,499). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sorrel” is #48,497. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sorrel (IPA /ˈsɒɹəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,497 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sorrel, with forms such as "osrrel", "sorel", and "sorerl". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "sorry", "sorted", "Surrey", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”), Iceland… The correct English form is sorrel, spelled S-O-R-R-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially
  2. 2
    Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially
  3. 3
    Members of genus Oxalis or family Oxalidaceae, woodsorrels.
  4. 4
    The roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa.
  5. 5
    The roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At the greenmarket, it’s still mostly potatoes and apples. There are no tender greens, fava beans, peas, asparagus, artichokes, sorrel, rhubarb or early strawberries. Those harbingers of the season are said to be full of chi, or qi, the Chinese word for life force. We’re craving them as we’re craving lighter, brighter-tasting meals, food that is greener a…
  2. Now, many people drink alcohol, but when I was a child I remember drinking sorrel, ginger beer and drinks made from fresh fruits such as soursop and passion-fruit. Sorrel was prepared over a long period, not as quickly as it is now.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

vinagrera(Español)oseille(Français)Ampfer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osrrel
  • sorel
  • sorerl
  • sorrell
  • sorrle
  • srorel
  • ssorrel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osrrel2sorel1sorerl2sorrell1sorrle2srorel2ssorrel1
Edit distance from "sorrel"

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 "sorrel"?
"sorrel" is spelled S-O-R-R-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɒɹəl/.
What does "sorrel" mean?
As a noun, "sorrel" means: Any of various plants with acidic leaves of the genus Rumex, especially
What words are commonly confused with "sorrel"?
"sorrel" is commonly confused with "sorry", "sorted", "Surrey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sorrel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sorrel" is /ˈsɒɹəl/. 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 "sorrel"?
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”... 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 "sorrel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Sinead#48,483Tayyip#48,524thymus#48,528tomcat#48,531

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

staid7 variantsreams7 variantsvocab7 variantsprude7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list