bowsprit
/ˈbəʊspɹɪt/
"bowsprit" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bowsprit” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A spar projecting over the prow of a sailing vessel to provide the means of adding sail surface.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bowsprit |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈbəʊspɹɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bowsprit” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
bowsprit is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbəʊspɹɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A spar projecting over the prow of a sailing vessel to provide the means of adding sail surface.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bowsprit, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in late 13th century. Probably borrowed from Middle Low German bochspret, from boch (“bow of a ship”) + spret (“pole”) (related to Old English spreot and English sprout). The correct English form is bowsprit, spelled B-O-W-S-P-R-I-T.
Definition
- 1A spar projecting over the prow of a sailing vessel to provide the means of adding sail surface.
Etymology
First attested in late 13th century. Probably borrowed from Middle Low German bochspret, from boch (“bow of a ship”) + spret (“pole”) (related to Old English spreot and English sprout).
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
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Using “bowsprit”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-O-W-S-P-R-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈbəʊspɹɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.