asperse
/əˈspɜːs/
"asperse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“asperse” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To sprinkle or scatter (liquid or dust).
Corpus desk
Index EN-asperse · asperse · English
asperse · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | asperse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /əˈspɜːs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “asperse” in English
Rare enough to double-check
asperse is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈspɜːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for asperse, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin aspersus, past participle of aspergere. The correct English form is asperse, spelled A-S-P-E-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1To sprinkle or scatter (liquid or dust).
- 2To falsely or maliciously charge someone.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how asperse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
a hand in San Marco's font / aspersed him with foul canal water
It hath always been my way to baffle reproach with silence; though I cannot but observe the disingenuous proceedings of this gentleman, who is not content to asperse my writings, but hath wounded, through my sides, those eminent and worthy citizens, Mr. John Morphew, and Mr. Bernard Lintot.
Etymology
From Latin aspersus, past participle of aspergere.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.