sultana

/ˌsʌlˈtɑː.nə/

//ˌsʌlˈtɑː.nə// noun

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

"sultana" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sultana” is uncommon English (frequency #59,057 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,057
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pale yellow raisin made from a seedless grape.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sultana · sultana · English

sultana · rank #59,057 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,057
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sufism

Nearest frequency peer: Sufism (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “sultana”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sultana” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sultana
PropertyValue
Headwordsultana
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌsʌlˈtɑː.nə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#59,057
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sultana” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sultanafalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Sufism” (#59,056), “Suraj” (#59,059), “stromal” (#59,054). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sultana” is #59,057. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sultana is uncommon English at frequency #59,057 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌsʌlˈtɑː.nə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

sultana doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1580s, Italian sultana (feminine of sultano). Displaced existing sultaness. Doublet of sultan and soldan. The correct English form is sultana, spelled S-U-L-T-A-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pale yellow raisin made from a seedless grape.
  2. 2
    A wife or mistress of a sultan.
  3. 3
    A female ruler of a sultanate.
  4. 4
    A type of viol, a cither viol.
  5. 5
    An old form of necklace.

Etymology

1580s, Italian sultana (feminine of sultano). Displaced existing sultaness. Doublet of sultan and soldan.

This word in other languages

sultane(Français)Sultanine(Deutsch)sultana(Português)

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 "sultana"?
"sultana" is spelled S-U-L-T-A-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsʌlˈtɑː.nə/.
What does "sultana" mean?
As a noun, "sultana" means: A pale yellow raisin made from a seedless grape.
How do you pronounce "sultana"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sultana" is /ˌsʌlˈtɑː.nə/. 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 "sultana"?
1580s, Italian sultana (feminine of sultano). Displaced existing sultaness. Doublet of sultan and soldan. 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 "sultana", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

stromal#59,054stratus#59,050strappy#59,049topside#59,079

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list