bloodsucker

/ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ/

//ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ// noun

"bloodsucker" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An animal that drinks the blood of others, especially by sucking blood through a puncture wound; a hemovore.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bloodsucker · bloodsucker · English

bloodsucker · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 bloodsucker
PropertyValue
Headwordbloodsucker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bloodsucker” in English

bloodsuckerranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

bloodsucker is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for bloodsucker in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From blood + sucker. The “changeable lizard” sense is perhaps because of the reddish color of its neck. The correct English form is bloodsucker, spelled B-L-O-O-D-S-U-C-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An animal that drinks the blood of others, especially by sucking blood through a puncture wound; a hemovore.
  2. 2
    Any parasite.
  3. 3
    Any mosquito, gnat, midge, or other small bug which consumes human blood.
  4. 4
    One who attempts to take as much from others as possible; a leech.
  5. 5
    A vampire.
  6. 6
    The changeable lizard (Calotes versicolor).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Meyer, in turn, offered a chaste variation on the promiscuous bloodsuckers of Anne Rice. And back in Rice’s heyday of the 1980s and ’90s, mass market copies of her “Interview With the Vampire” occupied the same spinning racks as other critically slammed authors of the ’70s and ’80s: Danielle Steel, Sidney Sheldon, Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins.

Etymology

From blood + sucker. The “changeable lizard” sense is perhaps because of the reddish color of its neck.

This word in other languages

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 "bloodsucker"?
"bloodsucker" is spelled B-L-O-O-D-S-U-C-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ/.
What does "bloodsucker" mean?
As a noun, "bloodsucker" means: An animal that drinks the blood of others, especially by sucking blood through a puncture wound; a hemovore.
How do you pronounce "bloodsucker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bloodsucker" is /ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bloodsucker"?
From blood + sucker. The “changeable lizard” sense is perhaps because of the reddish color of its neck. 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