sparse
/spɑːs/
"sparse" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sparse” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,193. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #18,193
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having widely spaced intervals.
Corpus desk
Index EN-sparse · sparse · English
sparse · rank #18,193 · 9 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-MID #18,193
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH Spaniards
Nearest frequency peer: Spaniards (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “sparse”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- souvenir
souvenir
81,811 corpus weight
- spaceship
spaceship
81,810 corpus weight
- Spaniards
Spaniards
81,809 corpus weight
- sparse
sparse
81,808 corpus weight
- spinner
spinner
81,807 corpus weight
- steamer
steamer
81,806 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “sparse” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sparse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /spɑːs/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #18,193 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sparse” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around sparse (IPA /spɑːs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,193 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sparse, with forms such as "psarse", "saprse", and "spares". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "spas", "stars", "Spurs", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin sparsus. The correct English form is sparse, spelled S-P-A-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1Having widely spaced intervals.
- 2Not dense; meager; scanty
- 3Having few nonzero elements
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how sparse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
a sparse array, index, or matrix
The Leicester to Grimsby service will become hourly throughout (with some extensions to Cleethorpes as at present), while a new hourly Peterborough to Doncaster service via Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln will join up two routes with a sparse service at present.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin sparsus.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- psarse
- saprse
- spares
- sparrse
- sparsse
- spasre
- spparse
- sprase
- ssparse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sparse - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "sparse"?
What does "sparse" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "sparse"?
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What is the origin of the word "sparse"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sparse", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "sparse". Here's where to go from here.
- "sparse" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "spas". View pair
- 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #18,193 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.