sanguine

\sɑ̃.ɡin\

/\sɑ̃.ɡin\/ noun

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

The verdict

“sanguine” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #15,033 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,033
frequency rank, French
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Minerai de fer riche en hématite, d’un rouge brun, dont on fait des crayons.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sanguine vs sanguins
88% similar
sanguine vs sanguines
89% similar
sanguine vs sanguin
88% similar

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

Key facts for sanguine
PropertyValue
Headwordsanguine
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sɑ̃.ɡin\
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,033
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sanguine” sits in French 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). sanguine lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for sanguine is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sɑ̃.ɡin\. Corpus data places it at rank #15,033 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sanguine, with forms such as "asnguine", "sagnuine", and "sangguine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "sanguins", "sanguines", "sanguin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is sanguine, spelled S-A-N-G-U-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Minerai de fer riche en hématite, d’un rouge brun, dont on fait des crayons.
  2. 2
    Crayons faits avec cette pierre.
  3. 3
    Dessin fait avec ces crayons.
  4. 4
    Sorte de pierre précieuse couleur de sang.
  5. 5
    Variété d’orange dont la chair est presque rouge.
  6. 6
    Émail indiquant la couleur sang (rouge-brunâtre) d’un élément des armoiries : écu, partition, pièce, meuble, etc. Voir de sanguine. Cette couleur serait spécifique à la Grande-Bretagne où elle se nomme blood-color et à l'Allemagne où elle prend le nom de Eisen, c'est à dire couleur de fer. Elle est représentée en gravure par des hachures en diagonale de gauche à droite croisées de hachures en sens inverse.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asnguine,sagnuine,sangguine,sangiune,sanguien,sanguinne,sangunie,sannguine,sanugine,snaguine,ssanguine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sanguine - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

asnguine2sagnuine2sangguine1sangiune2sanguien2sanguinne1sangunie2sannguine1
Edit distance from "sanguine"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sanguine"?
"sanguine" is spelled S-A-N-G-U-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sɑ̃.ɡin\.
What does "sanguine" mean?
As a noun, "sanguine" means: Minerai de fer riche en hématite, d’un rouge brun, dont on fait des crayons.
What words are commonly confused with "sanguine"?
"sanguine" is commonly confused with "sanguins", "sanguines", "sanguin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sanguine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sanguine" is \sɑ̃.ɡin\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sanguine" come from?
"sanguine" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “sanguine”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is S-A-N-G-U-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sɑ̃.ɡin\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sanguins” - see the side-by-side comparison. sanguine vs sanguins
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list