vagus

/ˈveɪ.ɡəs/

//ˈveɪ.ɡəs// noun

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

The verdict

“vagus” is uncommon English (frequency #60,549 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,549
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A homeless person or vagrant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vagus · vagus · English

vagus · rank #60,549 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,549
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH Valdosta

Nearest frequency peer: Valdosta (+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 “vagus”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for vagus
PropertyValue
Headwordvagus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈveɪ.ɡəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#60,549
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vagus” in English

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).vagusfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Valdosta” (#60,550), “urethral” (#60,547), “upwind” (#60,546). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vagus” is #60,549. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vagus is uncommon English at frequency #60,549 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈveɪ.ɡəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for vagus, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowing from Latin vagus (“wandering, rambling, strolling”). The correct English form is vagus, spelled V-A-G-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A homeless person or vagrant.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of vagus nerve.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Though not referred in the Code as a domicile of origin, a child's place of origin is fixed by the place where his father had his domicile or, in defect of domicile, his quasi-domicile when the child was born, or where the mother had hers if the child was illegitimate or posthumous; if the parents were vagi it is the place where the child was born; if the…

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin vagus (“wandering, rambling, strolling”).

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 "vagus"?
"vagus" is spelled V-A-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈveɪ.ɡəs/.
What does "vagus" mean?
As a noun, "vagus" means: A homeless person or vagrant.
How do you pronounce "vagus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vagus" is /ˈveɪ.ɡəs/. 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 "vagus"?
Borrowing from Latin vagus (“wandering, rambling, strolling”). 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 "vagus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list