sudoku

/sʊˈdəʊku/

//sʊˈdəʊku// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sudoku” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,107
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of pencil puzzle played on a square grid, requiring each of the columns, each of the rows, and each of the subregions (called "boxes" or "regions") to contain the lowest whole numbers up to ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-sudoku · sudoku · English

sudoku · rank #45,107 · 8 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,107
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH surefire

Nearest frequency peer: surefire (+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 “sudoku”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sudoku” 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 sudoku
PropertyValue
Headwordsudoku
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sʊˈdəʊku/
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,107
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sudoku”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “surefire” (#45,109), “sturt” (#45,104), “strainer” (#45,103). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sudoku” is #45,107. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sudoku (IPA /sʊˈdəʊku/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,107 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A type of pencil puzzle played on a square grid, requiring each of the columns, each of the rows, and each of the subregions (called "boxes" or "regions") to contain the lowest whole numbers up to ...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sudoku, with forms such as "sduoku", "ssudoku", and "suddoku". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Japanese 数(すう)字(じ) (sūji) Japanese は (wa) Japanese 独(どく)身(しん) (dokushin) Japanese に (ni) Japanese 限(かぎ)る (kagiru) Japanese 数独 (sūdoku)bor. English sudoku Borrowed from Japanese 数独 (sūdoku). The correct English form is sudoku, spelled S-U-D-O-K-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of pencil puzzle played on a square grid, requiring each of the columns, each of the rows, and each of the subregions (called "boxes" or "regions") to contain the lowest whole numbers up to the dimension of the puzzle, usually 1 to 9, once each. The subregions are rectangular or square except in variants.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For Preston is the publishing director at Puzzler Media, which creates magazines filled with puzzles, including one called sudoku that has taken Britain by storm. […] The puzzles are widely available over the Internet because efforts to trademark the name in Britain have not been successful, and you can even download sudokus to mobile phones.
  2. In fact, anything we do just to kill time—even essentially healthy activities like reading, chatting on the phone, or completing a sudoku puzzle—becomes a 'time thief.

Etymology

Etymology tree Japanese 数(すう)字(じ) (sūji) Japanese は (wa) Japanese 独(どく)身(しん) (dokushin) Japanese に (ni) Japanese 限(かぎ)る (kagiru) Japanese 数独 (sūdoku)bor. English sudoku Borrowed from Japanese 数独 (sūdoku).

This word in other languages

sudoku(Español)sudoku(Français)Sudoku(Deutsch)sudoku(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sduoku
  • ssudoku
  • suddoku
  • sudkou
  • sudokku
  • sudouk
  • suodku
  • usdoku

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sduoku2ssudoku1suddoku1sudkou2sudokku1sudouk2suodku2usdoku2
Edit distance from "sudoku"

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 "sudoku"?
"sudoku" is spelled S-U-D-O-K-U. The IPA pronunciation is /sʊˈdəʊku/.
What does "sudoku" mean?
As a noun, "sudoku" means: A type of pencil puzzle played on a square grid, requiring each of the columns, each of the rows, and each of the subregions (called "boxes" or "regions") to contain the lowest whole numbers up to ...
What are common misspellings of "sudoku"?
Common misspellings include "sduoku", "ssudoku", "suddoku", "sudkou", "sudokku". The correct spelling is "sudoku".
How do you pronounce "sudoku"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sudoku" is /sʊˈdəʊku/. 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 "sudoku"?
Etymology tree Japanese 数(すう)字(じ) (sūji) Japanese は (wa) Japanese 独(どく)身(しん) (dokushin) Japanese に (ni) Japanese 限(かぎ)る (kagiru) Japanese 数独 (sūdoku)bor. English sudoku Borrowed from Japanese 数独 (sūdoku). 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 "sudoku", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sorbet#45,092snipes#45,091Snider#45,090timbre#45,124

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

tangy8 variantsspiny8 variantstiptoe8 variantssnazzy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list