vetiver

/ˈvɛtɪvə/

//ˈvɛtɪvə// noun

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

"vetiver" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vetiver” is uncommon English (frequency #85,910 among 7,391 “V” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,910
frequency rank, English
7,391
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The grass Chrysopogon zizanioides (synonym Vetiveria zizanioides), which is native to India, but planted throughout the tropics for its fragrant roots and for erosion control.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vetiver · vetiver · English

vetiver · rank #85,910 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,910
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 7,391
  • PHOTO-FINISH verry

Nearest frequency peer: verry (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “vetiver”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “vetiver” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for vetiver
PropertyValue
Headwordvetiver
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɛtɪvə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#85,910
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vetiver” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). vetiver lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vetiver is uncommon English at frequency #85,910 among 7,391 “V” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈvɛtɪvə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for vetiver in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French vétyver (older spelling) or vétiver, from Tamil வெட்டிவேர் (veṭṭivēr). The correct English form is vetiver, spelled V-E-T-I-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The grass Chrysopogon zizanioides (synonym Vetiveria zizanioides), which is native to India, but planted throughout the tropics for its fragrant roots and for erosion control.
  2. 2
    The aromatic root of the grass.
  3. 3
    An essential oil derived from the root; the fragrance of the oil.

Etymology

From French vétyver (older spelling) or vétiver, from Tamil வெட்டிவேர் (veṭṭivēr).

Synonyms

khus

This word in other languages

vétiver(Français)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "vetiver"?
"vetiver" is spelled V-E-T-I-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɛtɪvə/.
What does "vetiver" mean?
As a noun, "vetiver" means: The grass Chrysopogon zizanioides (synonym Vetiveria zizanioides), which is native to India, but planted throughout the tropics for its fragrant roots and for erosion control.
How do you pronounce "vetiver"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vetiver" is /ˈvɛtɪvə/. 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 "vetiver"?
From French vétyver (older spelling) or vétiver, from Tamil வெட்டிவேர் (veṭṭivēr). 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 "vetiver", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Vaccaro#85,901unquiet#85,896unmanly#85,895unasked#85,882
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list