lickspittle
/ˈlɪkspɪtl/
"lickspittle" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lickspittle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fawning toady; a base sycophant.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lickspittle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlɪkspɪtl/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lickspittle” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
lickspittle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɪkspɪtl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
lickspittle doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: A compounding: lick (“pass one’s tongue over”) + spittle (“saliva”); the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below). The correct English form is lickspittle, spelled L-I-C-K-S-P-I-T-T-L-E.
Definition
- 1A fawning toady; a base sycophant.
- 2The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain.
Etymology
A compounding: lick (“pass one’s tongue over”) + spittle (“saliva”); the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “lickspittle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-I-C-K-S-P-I-T-T-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlɪkspɪtl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.