# sulfur

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsʌl.fə/ · frequency rank #16,594

## Definitions
1. A chemical element with atomic number 16, having a bright yellow color and characteristic smell, used commercially in a variety of products such as insecticides, black powder, and matchsticks.
2. A chemical element with atomic number 16, having a bright yellow color and characteristic smell, used commercially in a variety of products such as insecticides, black powder, and matchsticks.
3. A yellowish green colour, like that of sulfur.
4. Any of various pierid butterflies of the subfamily Coliadinae, especially the sulfur-coloured species.

## Etymology
From Middle English sulphur, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sulfre, from Latin sulfur, from sulpur itself of uncertain origin. Displaced Old English swefl and largely displaced brimstone.

## Easily confused with
- **Sulu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sulfur-vs-sulu)
- **surfer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sulfur-vs-surfer)
- **Sulphur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sulfur-vs-sulphur)
- **sulfuric** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sulfur-vs-sulfuric)
- **slur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slur-vs-sulfur)
- **suffer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/suffer-vs-sulfur)
- **soulful** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soulful-vs-sulfur)

## Common misspellings (9)
`slufur`, `ssulfur`, `suflur`, `sulffur`, `sulfru`, `sulfurr`, `sullfur`, `sulufr`, `uslfur`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sulfur