sweet

/swiːt/

//swiːt// adj

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

"sweet" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sweet” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,322. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,322
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tasting of sugars.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sweet · sweet · English

sweet · rank #1,322 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,322
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH supposed

Nearest frequency peer: supposed (-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 “sweet”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sweet” 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).

sweet vs swot
60% similar
sweet vs swift
60% similar
sweet vs swept
80% similar

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

Key facts for sweet
PropertyValue
Headwordsweet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/swiːt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,322
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sweet”

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).sweetlands 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 “supposed” (#1,321), “thus” (#1,323), “speaking” (#1,320). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sweet” is #1,322. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sweet (IPA /swiːt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,322 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sweet, with forms such as "sewet", "ssweet", and "sweett". 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, "swot", "swift", "swept", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit (“sweet”), North Frisian sweete (“swee… The correct English form is sweet, spelled S-W-E-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tasting of sugars.
  2. 2
    Retaining a portion of sugar.
  3. 3
    Not of a salty taste.
  4. 4
    Of a pleasant smell.
  5. 5
    Not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale.
  6. 6
    Of a pleasant sound.
  7. 7
    Of a pleasing disposition.
  8. 8
    Of a helpful disposition.
  9. 9
    Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.
  10. 10
    Very pleasing; agreeable.
  11. 11
    Doing well; in a good or happy position.
  12. 12
    Romantically fixated; enamored with; fond of.
  13. 13
    Fresh; not salt or brackish.
  14. 14
    Alkaline.
  15. 15
    Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair.
  16. 16
    An intensifier.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a sweet apple
  2. A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades.

Etymology

From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit (“sweet”), North Frisian sweete (“sweet”), Saterland Frisian swäit (“sweet”), West Frisian swiet (“sweet”), Dutch zoet (“sweet”), German Low German sööt (“sweet”), German süß (“sweet”), Danish sød (“sweet”), Swedish söt (“sweet”), Norwegian søt (“sweet”), Icelandic sætur (“sweet”), Latin suāvis, Sanskrit स्वादु (svādú), Ancient Greek ἡδύς (hēdús). Doublet of suave.

Synonyms

saccharinesugarysugaredsweetenedfreshunsaltyfragrantodoriferousodorousperfumedscentedsweet-scentedsweet-smellingfreshunfermentedwholesomedulcethoneyedmellifluousmellisonantcutelovablepleasantkindgracioushelpfulsensitivethoughtfulradawesomewickednectarealnectareannectarinenectaroussappysweetsweetsome

Antonyms

bittersoursaltynonsweetsugarlessunsugaredunsweetenedunsweetdrydecayingfermentedrancidsourspoiledstalesaltysavourysoursourlameuncool

This word in other languages

dulce(Español)doux(Français)süß(Deutsch)doce(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sewet
  • ssweet
  • sweett
  • swet
  • swete
  • swweet
  • wseet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sewet2ssweet1sweett1swet1swete2swweet1wseet2
Edit distance from "sweet"

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 "sweet"?
"sweet" is spelled S-W-E-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /swiːt/.
What does "sweet" mean?
As an adjective, "sweet" means: Tasting of sugars.
What words are commonly confused with "sweet"?
"sweet" is commonly confused with "swot", "swift", "swept". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sweet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sweet" is /swiːt/. 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 "sweet"?
From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”). Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit (“sweet”), North Frisian swe... 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 "sweet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

touch#1,324names#1,314doubt#1,333drink#1,334

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

feels7 variantsdream7 variantscolor7 variantschoose7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list