# sword

> English word · Noun · IPA [sɔɹd] · frequency rank #3,852

## Definitions
1. A long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack.
2. A suit in certain playing card decks, particularly those used in Spain and Italy, or those used for divination.
3. A suit in certain playing card decks, particularly those used in Spain and Italy, or those used for divination.
4. One of the end bars by which the lay of a hand loom is suspended.
5. Violence; military might.

## Etymology
Inherited from West Midland Middle English sword (swerd in most dialects), from Old English sweord (“sword”), from Proto-West Germanic *swerd (“sword”), from Proto-Germanic *swerdą (“sword”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂w- (“sharp”).
Cognates
Cognate with North Frisian Swērt, Swiirt, swörd (“sword”), Saterland Frisian Swid, Swäid (“sword”), West Frisian swurd (“sword”), Dutch zwaard (“sword”), German Schwert (“sword”), Luxembourgish Schwäert (“sword”), Vilamovian świert (“sword”), Yiddish שווערד (shverd, “sword”), Danish sværd (“sword”), Faroese svørð (“sword”), Icelandic sverð (“sword”), Norn svird (“small longish object”), Norwegian Bokmål sverd (“sword”), Norwegian Nynorsk sverd, svørd (“sword”), Swedish svärd (“sword”); also Belarusian све́рдзел (svjérdzjel, “drill, drill bit”), Bulgarian свре́дел (svrédel, “drill, drill bit”), Czech svider (“drill bit”), Polish świder (“drill”), Russian сверло́ (sverló, “auger, bore, drill, drill bit”), Serbo-Croatian свр̏дло, svȑdlo (“auger”), Slovene sveder (“drill”), Ukrainian све́рдел (svérdel), све́рдло (svérdlo, “drill bit”).

## Easily confused with
- **swot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sword-vs-swot)
- **sworn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sword-vs-sworn)
- **swore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sword-vs-swore)
- **swords** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sword-vs-swords)
- **sod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sod-vs-sword)
- **sor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sor-vs-sword)
- **sort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sort-vs-sword)
- **sold** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sold-vs-sword)
- **sore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sore-vs-sword)
- **sora** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sora-vs-sword)
- **story** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/story-vs-sword)
- **short** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/short-vs-sword)
- **store** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/store-vs-sword)
- **score** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/score-vs-sword)
- **sport** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sport-vs-sword)
- **storm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storm-vs-sword)
- **stood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stood-vs-sword)
- **shore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shore-vs-sword)
- **swarm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swarm-vs-sword)
- **swoop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swoop-vs-sword)

## Common misspellings (8)
`sowrd`, `ssword`, `swodr`, `swordd`, `sworrd`, `swrod`, `swword`, `wsord`

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