embitter
/ɪmˈbɪtə/
"embitter" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“embitter” 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 cause (something) to be or taste bitter; to bitter.
Corpus desk
Index EN-embitter · embitter · English
embitter · 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 "E" 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 | embitter |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪmˈbɪtə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “embitter” in English
Rare enough to double-check
embitter is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪmˈbɪtə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
embitter doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From em- (variant of the suffix en- with the sense ‘to become’) + bitter. The correct English form is embitter, spelled E-M-B-I-T-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1To cause (something) to be or taste bitter; to bitter.
- 2To cause (a positive quality such as happiness, or a thing such as an activity or one's life) to become less good or pleasurable; also, to make (a negative quality, or thing such as a disagreement) worse or more unpleasant.
- 3To cause (someone or their feelings) to become more angry, resentful, or unfriendly; to envenom.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how embitter appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He imbitters not a diſtaſtfull meſſage to a forrein Prince by his indiſcretion in delivering it.
[I]t is our fond conceits, our froward humors, our perverse behaviors, which do create the trouble, which seemeth adherent to any condition, and embittereth every state; which from any slight occasion doth create vexation, and turneth every event into disaster.
Etymology
From em- (variant of the suffix en- with the sense ‘to become’) + bitter.
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.