vulva

/ˈvʌlvə/

//ˈvʌlvə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“vulva” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,078. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,078
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The external female genitalia of humans and other placental mammals, which includes the clitoris, labia, and vulval vestibule/vulvar opening.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vulva · vulva · English

vulva · rank #40,078 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,078
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wahlberg

Nearest frequency peer: Wahlberg (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “vulva”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “vulva” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

vulva vs viva
60% similar
vulva vs vila
60% similar
vulva vs vela
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for vulva
PropertyValue
Headwordvulva
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvʌlvə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#40,078
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vulva”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).vulvalands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Wahlberg” (#40,079), “waistband” (#40,080), “WAP” (#40,081). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vulva” is #40,078. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around vulva (IPA /ˈvʌlvə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,078 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for vulva, with forms such as "uvlva", "vluva", and "vulav". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "viva", "vila", "vela", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, earlier volva (“womb, female sexual organ”), probably from volvō (“to turn, wrap around”). Akin to Sanskrit उल्ब॑ (úlba) and उल्व॑ (úlva, “womb”) or English valve, valva and other descendants of the Latin term (evolve, in… The correct English form is vulva, spelled V-U-L-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The external female genitalia of humans and other placental mammals, which includes the clitoris, labia, and vulval vestibule/vulvar opening.
  2. 2
    A protrusion on the side of a nematode.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The vulvae of the sow were popular as a gourmet's dish. Credited with erotic effects.
  2. The wedge-shaped character was the triangle, the archaic Paleolithic sign of the vulva; the pubic triangle was at the end of the phallic stylus.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, earlier volva (“womb, female sexual organ”), probably from volvō (“to turn, wrap around”). Akin to Sanskrit उल्ब॑ (úlba) and उल्व॑ (úlva, “womb”) or English valve, valva and other descendants of the Latin term (evolve, involve, revolve).

Synonyms

axe woundbadly packed kebabbearded clambeaverbeef curtainsburgerchochaclamcoochcoochiecoochycookiecootcootercrackcunnycuntfannyfoo-foofront bottomfur burgerfur piegashgeegirl penishair pieham sandwichhoney holeitkebabkittyladybitsmingeminniemoochamooshoomottmuffmuffinna-nanonnynookynoonieold hatpee flappee-peepinkpoontangpratpudendum muliebrepunanipussyquaintquiffquimratroast beefscutslitslotsnatchtreasurestuppencetwattwinklevadgevaginavajayva-jay-jayvulvawee-wee

This word in other languages

vulva(Español)vulve(Français)Vulva(Deutsch)vulva(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • uvlva
  • vluva
  • vulav
  • vullva
  • vulvva
  • vuvla
  • vvulva

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vulva - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

uvlva2vluva2vulav2vullva1vulvva1vuvla2vvulva1
Edit distance from "vulva"

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 "vulva"?
"vulva" is spelled V-U-L-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvʌlvə/.
What does "vulva" mean?
As a noun, "vulva" means: The external female genitalia of humans and other placental mammals, which includes the clitoris, labia, and vulval vestibule/vulvar opening.
What words are commonly confused with "vulva"?
"vulva" is commonly confused with "viva", "vila", "vela". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vulva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vulva" is /ˈvʌlvə/. 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 "vulva"?
Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, earlier volva (“womb, female sexual organ”), probably from volvō (“to turn, wrap around”). Akin to Sanskrit उल्ब॑ (úlba) and उल्व॑ (úlva, “womb”) or English valve, valva and other descendants of the Latin term (... 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 "vulva", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Vichy#40,074Wyman#40,092zonal#40,097tamer#40,045

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

woollen7 variantsTajik7 variantssteen7 variantsShona7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list