Swahili

\swa.i.li\

/\swa.i.li\/ noun

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

The verdict

“Swahili” has 10 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #46,472. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,472
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Homme qui appartient à l’ethnie des Swahilis.

Corpus desk

Index FR-swahili · Swahili · French

Swahili · rank #46,472 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,472
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 394,209
  • PHOTO-FINISH swag

Nearest frequency peer: swag (-1 rank slots)

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 “Swahili”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Swahili” sits against the nearest ranked French 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 Swahili
PropertyValue
HeadwordSwahili
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\swa.i.li\
Letters7
Frequency rank#46,472
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Swahili” 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). Swahili lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around Swahili (IPA \swa.i.li\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,472 among 394,209 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Homme qui appartient à l’ethnie des Swahilis.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Swahili, with forms such as "sawhili", "sswahili", and "swahhili". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is Swahili, spelled S-W-A-H-I-L-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Homme qui appartient à l’ethnie des Swahilis.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sawhili
  • sswahili
  • swahhili
  • swahiil
  • swahilli
  • swahlii
  • swaihli
  • swhaili
  • swwahili
  • wsahili

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Swahili - 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.

sawhili2sswahili1swahhili1swahiil2swahilli1swahlii2swaihli2swhaili2
Edit distance from "Swahili"

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.

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 "Swahili"?
"Swahili" is spelled S-W-A-H-I-L-I. The IPA pronunciation is \swa.i.li\.
What does "Swahili" mean?
As a noun, "Swahili" means: Homme qui appartient à l’ethnie des Swahilis.
What are common misspellings of "Swahili"?
Common misspellings include "sawhili", "sswahili", "swahhili", "swahiil", "swahilli". The correct spelling is "Swahili".
How do you pronounce "Swahili"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Swahili" is \swa.i.li\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Swahili" come from?
"Swahili" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Swahili", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stylisé#46,463sputnik#46,459terrine#46,485therapy#46,486

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Smyrne10 variantssimply10 variantstombais10 variantsscindé10 variants
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