jabber

/ˈd͡ʒæbə(ɹ)/

//ˈd͡ʒæbə(ɹ)// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"jabber" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“jabber” is uncommon English (frequency #69,972 among 796 “J” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,972
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly; to utter gibberish or nonsense.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jabber · jabber · English

jabber · rank #69,972 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,972
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH Jatt

Nearest frequency peer: Jatt (+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 “jabber”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for jabber
PropertyValue
Headwordjabber
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈd͡ʒæbə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#69,972
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “jabber” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).jabberfalls 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: “Jatt” (#69,975), “Jawa” (#69,976), “Islamization” (#69,967). Among 796 “J” headwords, “jabber” is #69,972. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

jabber is uncommon English at frequency #69,972 among 796 “J” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈd͡ʒæbə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for jabber in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English jaberen, javeren, chaveren (“to chatter, babble”), dissimilated forms of jablen, chavelen (“to jabber”), from Middle English chavel ("jaw"; > modern English jowl). Equivalent to jowl + -er (iterative suffix). The correct English form is jabber, spelled J-A-B-B-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly; to utter gibberish or nonsense.
  2. 2
    To utter rapidly or indistinctly; to gabble.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1829, James Hogg, The Shepherd’s Calendar, New York: A.T. Goodrich, Volume I, Chapter 9, “Mary Burnet,” p. 184, Allanson made some sound in his throat, as if attempting to speak, but his tongue refused its office, and he only jabbered.
  2. “What are you jabbering about, shipmate?” said I.

Etymology

From Middle English jaberen, javeren, chaveren (“to chatter, babble”), dissimilated forms of jablen, chavelen (“to jabber”), from Middle English chavel ("jaw"; > modern English jowl). Equivalent to jowl + -er (iterative suffix).

This word in other languages

farfullar(Español)jacasser(Français)plappern(Deutsch)

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 "jabber"?
"jabber" is spelled J-A-B-B-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒæbə(ɹ)/.
What does "jabber" mean?
As a verb, "jabber" means: To talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly; to utter gibberish or nonsense.
How do you pronounce "jabber"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jabber" is /ˈd͡ʒæbə(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 "jabber"?
From Middle English jaberen, javeren, chaveren (“to chatter, babble”), dissimilated forms of jablen, chavelen (“to jabber”), from Middle English chavel ("jaw"; > modern English jowl). Equivalent to jowl + -er (iterative suffix). 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 "jabber", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

insula#69,957juried#69,987kabuto#69,990Hutson#69,941

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list