quitter
/ˈkwɪ.tə/noun, verb
quitter is spelled Q-U-I-T-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, quitter means “Matter flowing from a wound or sore; pus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of quitter is quitters.
How many letters and syllables are in quitter?
| Letters | 7: Q-U-I-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 quitter?
Quitter appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th 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 quitter?
- UK /ˈkwɪ.tə/
Quitter 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-quitter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with quitter
Sounds like: quittor (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with quitter?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as quitter from its last stressed vowel (/ɪtə/, British pronunciation):
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 quitter
- quittor
- quitters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- quittering participle, present
- quittered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does quitter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Matter flowing from a wound or sore; pus.
- 2
Alternative spelling of quittor (“fistulous wound at the top of a horse's foot”).
- 3
obsoleteScoria of tin.
- 4
One who gives in.
Winners never quit and quitters never win.
- 5
One who succeeds in desisting from a vice, especially smoking, drinking, or drugging.
Quitters are winners! If you can't quit on the first try, hang in there and try to quit again!
- 6
archaicA leaver.
- 7
obsoleteA deliverer.
verb
- 1
To suppurate; ooze with pus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Quitter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who quits:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Aufgeber, Feigling, Schlappschwanz |
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 quitter come from?
From Middle English quitter, from Anglo-Norman quiture, quyture et al., specialised use of quiture (“burn mark, burning”), from the participle stem of cuire (“to cook”), or from Latin coctura (“cooking”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).