showstopper
noun
showstopper is spelled S-H-O-W-S-T-O-P-P-E-R: 11 letters. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, showstopper means “A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive audience reaction strong enough to pause the production” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of showstopper is showstoppers.
How many letters and syllables are in showstopper?
| Letters | 11: S-H-O-W-S-T-O-P-P-E-R |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is showstopper?
Showstopper appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th 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 showstopper?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-showstopper.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with showstopper
Also written: show-stopper (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of showstopper
- showstoppers plural
- show-stopper
- show stopper
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does showstopper mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive audience reaction strong enough to pause the production.
- 2
Any impediment that prevents all further progress.
- 3
A software bug that must be fixed before any further development is possible.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Showstopper in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Showstopper , KO-Kriterium, K.O.-Kriterium, Ausschlusskriterium |
| French | clap de fin |
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 showstopper come from?
From show + stopper.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).