🐟 Sailfish vs Swordfish 🐟
The swordfish is a bit bigger than the sailfish. The swordfish weighs about 10 times as much as the sailfish.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐟 Sailfish | 🐟 Swordfish |
|---|---|---|
| Size The swordfish is a bit bigger than the sailfish. | 12 ft3.6 m1 | 15 ft4.6 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the swordfish yet. | 68 mph109 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The swordfish weighs about 10 times as much as the sailfish. | 128 lb58 kg4 | 1,430 lb650 kg2 |
| Lives Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Eats Both eat fish. | small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid | fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the warm Pacific and Indian oceans | warm and cool seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, mostly near the surface |
Which one? Sailfish or swordfish
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the swordfish yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
9 things to know about Sailfish vs Swordfish
- The sailfish: A speedy fish with a tall back sail and a long, pointed bill.
- The swordfish: A big ocean fish with a long, flat bill like a sword.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are fish.
- The swordfish is a bit bigger than the sailfish: 2 against 1.
- The swordfish weighs about 10 times as much as the sailfish. That is 4 for the sailfish and 2 for the swordfish.
- Both eat fish. The sailfish eats small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid; the swordfish eats fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs.
- The sailfish lives in the warm Pacific and Indian oceans. The swordfish lives in warm and cool seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, mostly near the surface. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The sailfish: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The swordfish: doing fine, for now (Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🐟 Sailfish
- Its big sail folds down flat into a groove on its back.
- Hunting sailfish flash bright stripes on their sides.
- Sailfish sometimes work together as a team to hunt.
🐟 Swordfish
- A swordfish has a long, flat bill like a sword.
- It lives in three oceans.
- It can swim from the surface down very deep.
Questions kids ask about Sailfish and Swordfish
Which is bigger, sailfish or swordfish?
The swordfish is a bit bigger than the sailfish: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, sailfish or swordfish?
The swordfish weighs about 10 times as much as the sailfish. That is 4 for the sailfish and 2 for the swordfish.
What do sailfish and swordfish eat?
Both eat fish. The sailfish eats small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid; the swordfish eats fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs.
Where do sailfish and swordfish live?
The sailfish lives in the warm Pacific and Indian oceans. The swordfish lives in warm and cool seas of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, mostly near the surface. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do sailfish eat swordfish?
The sailfish eats small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and squid. Swordfish are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the swordfish is a bit more than as long as the sailfish.
Do swordfish eat sailfish?
The swordfish eats fish such as mackerel and herring, and also squid and crabs. Sailfish are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, sailfish or swordfish?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/sailfish-vs-swordfish
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean (Istiophorus platypterus), checked 30 October 2026.
- FishBase, Xiphias gladius (swordfish), checked 10 November 2026.
- NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts feed ('What is the fastest fish in the ocean?'), checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fishery Bulletin 78(3), 1980 (Beardsley and others, Atlantic sailfish), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.