swordplay

noun

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

"swordplay" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“swordplay” is uncommon English (frequency #79,106 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,106
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - fighting with a sword

Corpus desk

Index EN-swordplay · swordplay · English

swordplay · rank #79,106 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,106
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH swart

Nearest frequency peer: swart (-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 “swordplay”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for swordplay
PropertyValue
Headwordswordplay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#79,106
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “swordplay” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).swordplayfalls 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: “swart” (#79,105), “swale” (#79,104), “Surtees” (#79,103). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “swordplay” is #79,106. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

swordplay is uncommon English at frequency #79,106 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "fighting with a sword".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for swordplay, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Old English sweordplega. By surface analysis, sword + play. The correct English form is swordplay, spelled S-W-O-R-D-P-L-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    fighting with a sword

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. His expertise at swordplay made his acting in the part of Hamlet very believable.

Etymology

Inherited from Old English sweordplega. By surface analysis, sword + play.

This word in other languages

esgrima(Español)escrime(Français)Schwertkampf(Deutsch)

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 "swordplay"?
"swordplay" is spelled S-W-O-R-D-P-L-A-Y.
What does "swordplay" mean?
As a noun, "swordplay" means: fighting with a sword
What is the origin of the word "swordplay"?
Inherited from Old English sweordplega. By surface analysis, sword + play. 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 "swordplay", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tellurium#79,121Tillamook#79,132trackside#79,140unmanaged#79,160

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list