Easter egg
/ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/
"easter-egg" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Easter egg” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter and, in the Western European tradition, sometimes hidden for children to find.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Easter egg |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Easter egg” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Easter egg is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
Easter egg doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Easter + egg. Cognate with German Low German Ooosterei (“Easter egg”), Middle High German ōsterei ("Easter egg"; > modern German Osterei). So called because eggs would be eaten during Easter to break the fasting during Lent. (No eggs, dairy, meat excep… The correct English form is Easter egg, spelled E-A-S-T-E-R- -E-G-G.
Definition
- 1A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter and, in the Western European tradition, sometimes hidden for children to find.
- 2A chocolate confection in the shape of an egg, sometimes with chocolates or sweets inside.
- 3An undocumented function hidden in a program or video game, typically triggered by a particular input sequence or combination of keystrokes.
- 4Any image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie, trailer, or poster.
Etymology
From Easter + egg. Cognate with German Low German Ooosterei (“Easter egg”), Middle High German ōsterei ("Easter egg"; > modern German Osterei). So called because eggs would be eaten during Easter to break the fasting during Lent. (No eggs, dairy, meat except fish, lard, or foods containing these ingredients could be eaten during Lent.) The computing sense is from the early 1980s, popularized by the video game Adventure.
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 "Easter egg"?
What does "Easter egg" mean?
How do you pronounce "Easter egg"?
What is the origin of the word "Easter egg"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Easter egg”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-A-S-T-E-R- -E-G-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/ (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.