sultry

/ˈsʌltɹi/

//ˈsʌltɹi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sultry” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,485. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,485
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Hot and humid; sweltering.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sultry · sultry · English

sultry · rank #29,485 · 10 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,485
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sustenance

Nearest frequency peer: sustenance (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “sultry”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sultry” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sultry vs sutra
67% similar
sultry vs surry
67% similar
sultry vs sundry
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for sultry
PropertyValue
Headwordsultry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsʌltɹi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#29,485
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sultry”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sultrylands 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 “sustenance” (#29,486), “storied” (#29,483), “stonewall” (#29,482). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sultry” is #29,485. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around sultry (IPA /ˈsʌltɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #29,485 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sultry, with forms such as "slutry", "ssultry", and "sulltry". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "sutra", "surry", "sundry", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sulter (“verb (obsolete), a variant of swelter”) + -y; compare sweltry. The correct English form is sultry, spelled S-U-L-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Hot and humid; sweltering.
  2. 2
    Emitting great heat.
  3. 3
    Sexually enthralling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Other ſignes of the Hiues fullneſſe and readineſſe to ſwarm are at the Hiue-doore, […] Fourthly, their firſt lying forth in foggy and ſultrie mornings & euenings, & going in again when the aire is cleere.
  2. On recollecting myself, I diſcovered that I had almoſt reached the entrance of the lagoon, and determined to venture in, if poſſible, to take a few fiſh, […] I ſoon caught more trout than I had preſent occaſion for, and the air was too hot and ſultry to admit of their being kept for many hours, even though ſalted or barbecued.

Etymology

From sulter (“verb (obsolete), a variant of swelter”) + -y; compare sweltry.

This word in other languages

bochornoso(Español)étouffant(Français)schwül(Deutsch)tórrido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • slutry
  • ssultry
  • sulltry
  • sulrty
  • sultrry
  • sultryy
  • sulttry
  • sultyr
  • sutlry
  • usltry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sultry - 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.

slutry2ssultry1sulltry1sulrty2sultrry1sultryy1sulttry1sultyr2
Edit distance from "sultry"

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 "sultry"?
"sultry" is spelled S-U-L-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌltɹi/.
What does "sultry" mean?
As an adjective, "sultry" means: Hot and humid; sweltering.
What words are commonly confused with "sultry"?
"sultry" is commonly confused with "sutra", "surry", "sundry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sultry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sultry" is /ˈsʌltɹi/. 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 "sultry"?
From sulter (“verb (obsolete), a variant of swelter”) + -y; compare sweltry. 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 "sultry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

swivel#29,489stasis#29,480sprawl#29,476toying#29,497

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

storied10 variantstearful10 variantstoolbox10 variantswayside10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list