bespread

verb

"bespread" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bespread” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To spread over; to cover with.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bespread · bespread · English

bespread · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" 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.

Key facts for bespread
PropertyValue
Headwordbespread
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bespread” in English

bespreadsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bespread is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To spread over; to cover with.".

bespread has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bispreden, equivalent to be- + spread. Cognate with Dutch bespreiden, Middle Low German bespreden, bespreiden, German bespreiten. The correct English form is bespread, spelled B-E-S-P-R-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To spread over; to cover with.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Hither, hither, sweet — / ’Tis a cowslip bed — / Hither, hither, sweet! / 'Tis with dew bespread!

Etymology

From Middle English bispreden, equivalent to be- + spread. Cognate with Dutch bespreiden, Middle Low German bespreden, bespreiden, German bespreiten.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bespread"?
"bespread" is spelled B-E-S-P-R-E-A-D.
What does "bespread" mean?
As a verb, "bespread" means: To spread over; to cover with.
What is the origin of the word "bespread"?
From Middle English bispreden, equivalent to be- + spread. Cognate with Dutch bespreiden, Middle Low German bespreden, bespreiden, German bespreiten. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list