sharpener

/ˈʃɑː(ɹ)pənə(ɹ)/

//ˈʃɑː(ɹ)pənə(ɹ)// noun

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

"sharpener" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sharpener” is uncommon English (frequency #51,385 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,385
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device for making things sharp.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sharpener · sharpener · English

sharpener · rank #51,385 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,385
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SFX

Nearest frequency peer: SFX (-2 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 “sharpener”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sharpener
PropertyValue
Headwordsharpener
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʃɑː(ɹ)pənə(ɹ)/
Letters9
Frequency rank#51,385
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sharpener” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “SFX” (#51,383), “semiautomatic” (#51,382), “Sherif” (#51,388). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sharpener” is #51,385. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sharpener is uncommon English at frequency #51,385 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʃɑː(ɹ)pənə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for sharpener, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sharpen + -er. The correct English form is sharpener, spelled S-H-A-R-P-E-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device for making things sharp.
  2. 2
    That which makes something sharp.
  3. 3
    An alcoholic drink taken at the start of the day, or just before a meal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was a pencil sharpener at the front of the classroom.
  2. “Sir,” said the shepherd, “poverty is a great sharpener of the wits. […]

Etymology

From sharpen + -er.

This word in other languages

sacapuntas(Español)affûteuse(Français)Spitzer(Deutsch)apontador(Português)

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 "sharpener"?
"sharpener" is spelled S-H-A-R-P-E-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʃɑː(ɹ)pənə(ɹ)/.
What does "sharpener" mean?
As a noun, "sharpener" means: A device for making things sharp.
How do you pronounce "sharpener"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sharpener" is /ˈʃɑː(ɹ)pənə(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 "sharpener"?
From sharpen + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sharpener", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sideburns#51,391sterility#51,417stonework#51,422rearguard#51,347

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list