syllabary

/ˈsɪləb(ə)ɹi/

//ˈsɪləb(ə)ɹi// noun

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

The verdict

“syllabary” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A table or list of syllabic letters or syllables.

Corpus desk

Index EN-syllabary · syllabary · English

syllabary · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for syllabary
PropertyValue
Headwordsyllabary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsɪləb(ə)ɹi/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “syllabary” in English

syllabaryfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

syllabary is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪləb(ə)ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for syllabary, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin syllabārium, from syllaba. The correct English form is syllabary, spelled S-Y-L-L-A-B-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A table or list of syllabic letters or syllables.
  2. 2
    A writing system where each character represents a complete syllable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It shouldn't be hard to come up with a musical syllabary in which pitches code for vowels and timbres code for consonants.
  2. Bamum is a syllabary developed between 1896 and 1910, used for writing the Bamum language in western Cameroon.

Etymology

From New Latin syllabārium, from syllaba.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "syllabary"?
"syllabary" is spelled S-Y-L-L-A-B-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪləb(ə)ɹi/.
What does "syllabary" mean?
As a noun, "syllabary" means: A table or list of syllabic letters or syllables.
How do you pronounce "syllabary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "syllabary" is /ˈsɪləb(ə)ɹi/. 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 "syllabary"?
From New Latin syllabārium, from syllaba. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list