ratter

noun

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

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

The verdict

“ratter” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Anything which catches rats, especially a dog trained to catch them.

Key facts for ratter
PropertyValue
Headwordratter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ratter” sits in English frequency

ratter falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ratter is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for ratter in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From rat + -er. The correct English form is ratter, spelled R-A-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anything which catches rats, especially a dog trained to catch them.
  2. 2
    Anything which catches rats, especially a dog trained to catch them.
  3. 3
    Anything which catches rats, especially a dog trained to catch them.
  4. 4
    One who rats; a traitor; a deserter.
  5. 5
    A pirate miner, a miner who digs out ore or paydirt clandestinely and runs

Etymology

From rat + -er.

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

How do you spell "ratter"?
"ratter" is spelled R-A-T-T-E-R.
What does "ratter" mean?
As a noun, "ratter" means: Anything which catches rats, especially a dog trained to catch them.
What is the origin of the word "ratter"?
From rat + -er. 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.

Using “ratter”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-A-T-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list