jittery

/ˈd͡ʒɪt.ɹi/

//ˈd͡ʒɪt.ɹi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“jittery” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,720. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,720
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nervy, jumpy, on edge

Corpus desk

Index EN-jittery · jittery · English

jittery · rank #42,720 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #42,720
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH jawbone

Nearest frequency peer: jawbone (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “jittery”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “jittery” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

jittery vs jitters
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for jittery
PropertyValue
Headwordjittery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɪt.ɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#42,720
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “jittery”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).jitterylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “jawbone” (#42,719), “judicious” (#42,722), “kaka” (#42,723). Among 796 “J” headwords, “jittery” is #42,720. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around jittery (IPA /ˈd͡ʒɪt.ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #42,720 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for jittery, with forms such as "ijttery", "jitery", and "jitetry". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "jitters", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From jitter + -y. The correct English form is jittery, spelled J-I-T-T-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    nervy, jumpy, on edge
  2. 2
    Having jitter, or unwanted signal characteristics.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Those were all landmark moments to cherish. Just as appealing was the manner in which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner cut swathes down either flank, albeit through flustered full-backs who had looked poorly positioned and horribly jittery from the start.
  2. jittery video playback

Etymology

From jitter + -y.

This word in other languages

nervioso(Español)unruhig(Deutsch)tenso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ijttery
  • jitery
  • jitetry
  • jitterry
  • jitteryy
  • jitteyr
  • jittrey
  • jjittery
  • jtitery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of jittery - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ijttery2jitery1jitetry2jitterry1jitteryy1jitteyr2jittrey2jjittery1
Edit distance from "jittery"

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 "jittery"?
"jittery" is spelled J-I-T-T-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɪt.ɹi/.
What does "jittery" mean?
As an adjective, "jittery" means: nervy, jumpy, on edge
What words are commonly confused with "jittery"?
"jittery" is commonly confused with "jitters". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jittery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jittery" is /ˈd͡ʒɪt.ɹi/. 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 "jittery"?
From jitter + -y. 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 "jittery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jawbone#42,719kinsman#42,730Kowloon#42,732hotshot#42,700

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Ingham9 variantshogging9 variantsLessing9 variantsHervey9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list