sorrowful

/ˈsɔɹoʊfəl/

//ˈsɔɹoʊfəl// adj

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

"sorrowful" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sorrowful” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,896. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,896
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - exhibiting sorrow; dejected; distraught; sad. (of a person)

Key facts for sorrowful
PropertyValue
Headwordsorrowful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɔɹoʊfəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#41,896
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sorrowful” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sorrowful (IPA /ˈsɔɹoʊfəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #41,896 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sorrowful, with forms such as "osrrowful", "sororwful", and "sorowful". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sorweful, from Old English sorhful, sorgful (“full of care; anxious; sorrowful”), from Proto-Germanic *surgafullaz (“full of care; anxious”), equivalent to sorrow + -ful. Cognate with Old High German sorgfol (“careful; anxious”), Norwegi… The correct English form is sorrowful, spelled S-O-R-R-O-W-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    exhibiting sorrow; dejected; distraught; sad. (of a person)
  2. 2
    Producing sorrow; causing grief.

Etymology

From Middle English sorweful, from Old English sorhful, sorgful (“full of care; anxious; sorrowful”), from Proto-Germanic *surgafullaz (“full of care; anxious”), equivalent to sorrow + -ful. Cognate with Old High German sorgfol (“careful; anxious”), Norwegian sorgfull (“sorrowful”), Icelandic sorgfullur (“lamentable”).

This word in other languages

triste(Español)triste(Français)betrübt(Deutsch)magoado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osrrowful
  • sororwful
  • sorowful
  • sorrofwul
  • sorrowfful
  • sorrowflu
  • sorrowfull
  • sorrowufl
  • sorrowwful
  • sorrwoful
  • srorowful
  • ssorrowful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osrrowful2sororwful2sorowful1sorrofwul2sorrowfful1sorrowflu2sorrowfull1sorrowufl2
Edit distance from "sorrowful"

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 "sorrowful"?
"sorrowful" is spelled S-O-R-R-O-W-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɔɹoʊfəl/.
What does "sorrowful" mean?
As an adjective, "sorrowful" means: exhibiting sorrow; dejected; distraught; sad. (of a person)
What are common misspellings of "sorrowful"?
Common misspellings include "osrrowful", "sororwful", "sorowful", "sorrofwul", "sorrowfful". The correct spelling is "sorrowful".
How do you pronounce "sorrowful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sorrowful" is /ˈsɔɹoʊfəl/. 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 "sorrowful"?
From Middle English sorweful, from Old English sorhful, sorgful (“full of care; anxious; sorrowful”), from Proto-Germanic *surgafullaz (“full of care; anxious”), equivalent to sorrow + -ful. Cognate with Old High German sorgfol (“careful; anxious”... 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.

Using “sorrowful”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-R-R-O-W-F-U-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɔɹoʊfəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list