Skip to main content
PlainSpell

gutter

/ˈɡʌt.ɚ/noun, verb, adjective

gutter is spelled G-U-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gutter means “A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gutter is gutters.

How many letters and syllables are in gutter?

Letters6: G-U-T-T-E-R
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is gutter?

Gutter appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce gutter?

  • UK /ˈɡʌt.ə/
  • US /ˈɡʌt.ɚ/
  • US [ˈɡʌɾ.ɚ]

Gutter has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gutter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with gutter?

11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as gutter from its last stressed vowel (/ʌtəɹ/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of gutter

  • gutters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • guttering participle, present
  • guttered participle, past
  • more gutter comparative
  • most gutter superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does gutter mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.

  2. 2

    A ditch along the side of a road.

  3. 3

    A duct or channel beneath the eaves of a building to carry rain water; eavestrough.

    The gutters must be cleared of leaves a few times a year.

  4. 4

    A groove down the sides of a bowling lane.

    You can decide to use the bumpers to avoid the ball going down the gutter every time.

  5. 5

    A large groove (commonly behind animals) in a barn used for the collection and removal of animal excrement.

  6. 6

    Any narrow channel or groove, such as one formed by erosion in the vent of a gun from repeated firing.

  7. 7

    A space between printed columns of text.

  8. 8

    One of a number of pieces of wood or metal, grooved in the centre, used to separate the pages of type in a form.

  9. 9

    One who or that which guts.

verb

  1. 1

    To flow or stream; to form gutters.

  2. 2

    To melt away by having the molten wax run down along the side of the candle.

  3. 3

    To flicker as if about to be extinguished.

  4. 4

    To send (a bowling ball) into the gutter, not hitting any pins.

  5. 5

    To supply with a gutter or gutters.

  6. 6

    To cut or form into small longitudinal hollows; to channel.

  7. 7

    To worsen considerably.

    The students' performance guttered after the school event.

adjective

  1. 1

    derogatoryinformalVulgar, sordid, or low-class.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Gutter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanGosse, Rinne, Rinnstein (prepared channel in a surface), Graben, Straßengraben (ditch along the side of road), ausspülen (to flow or stream; to form gutters)
Spanishdesagüe (prepared channel in a surface), cuneta, canaleta (ditch along the side of road), canalón, canelón (duct or channel beneath the eaves)
Frenchcaniveau (ditch along the side of road), gouttière, chéneau (duct or channel beneath the eaves), dalot (groove beside a bowling lane)
Portuguesevaleta, sarjeta (ditch along the side of road), calha, algeroz, agueiro, canaleta (duct or channel beneath the eaves)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does gutter come from?

From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after gutter