fritter

/ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)/

//ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)// noun

"fritter" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fritter” is uncommon English (frequency #69,869 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,869
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dish made by deep-frying food coated in batter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fritter · fritter · English

fritter · rank #69,869 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,869
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fultz

Nearest frequency peer: Fultz (+3 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “fritter”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “fritter” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fritter
PropertyValue
Headwordfritter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#69,869
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fritter” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fritterfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Fultz” (#69,872), “Franconia” (#69,865), “forecastle” (#69,864). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fritter” is #69,869. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fritter is uncommon English at frequency #69,869 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for fritter, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English fryture, from Middle French friture, from Old French friture, from Vulgar Latin *frīctūra, from Latin frīgō (“to fry”); compare fry. For the development of Middle English /iu̯r(ə)/ into /ə(ɹ)/, compare armour, batter, border, s… The correct English form is fritter, spelled F-R-I-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dish made by deep-frying food coated in batter.
  2. 2
    A fragment; a shred; a small piece.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. And cut whole giants into fritters.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English fryture, from Middle French friture, from Old French friture, from Vulgar Latin *frīctūra, from Latin frīgō (“to fry”); compare fry. For the development of Middle English /iu̯r(ə)/ into /ə(ɹ)/, compare armour, batter, border, solder.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fritter"?
"fritter" is spelled F-R-I-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)/.
What does "fritter" mean?
As a noun, "fritter" means: A dish made by deep-frying food coated in batter.
How do you pronounce "fritter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fritter" is /ˈfɹɪtə(ɹ)/. 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 "fritter"?
Inherited from Middle English fryture, from Middle French friture, from Old French friture, from Vulgar Latin *frīctūra, from Latin frīgō (“to fry”); compare fry. For the development of Middle English /iu̯r(ə)/ into /ə(ɹ)/, compare armour, batter,... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fritter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list