showstopper
"showstopper" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“showstopper” is uncommon English (frequency #61,111 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #61,111
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive audience reaction strong enough to pause the production.
Corpus desk
Index EN-showstopper · showstopper · English
showstopper · rank #61,111 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #61,111
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH showpiece
Nearest frequency peer: showpiece (-1 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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “showstopper”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- shandy
shandy
38,894 corpus weight
- Shinobu
Shinobu
38,892 corpus weight
- showpiece
showpiece
38,891 corpus weight
- showstopper
showstopper
38,890 corpus weight
- sidewall
sidewall
38,888 corpus weight
- sinusoidal
sinusoidal
38,887 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “showstopper” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | showstopper |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #61,111 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “showstopper” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
showstopper is uncommon English at frequency #61,111 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for showstopper in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From show + stopper. The correct English form is showstopper, spelled S-H-O-W-S-T-O-P-P-E-R.
Definition
- 1A performance or segment of a theatrical production that induces a positive audience reaction strong enough to pause the production.
- 2Any impediment that prevents all further progress.
- 3Any impediment that prevents all further progress.
Etymology
From show + stopper.
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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "showstopper"?
What does "showstopper" mean?
What is the origin of the word "showstopper"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "showstopper", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
What to do next
You've looked up "showstopper". Here's where to go from here.
- Usage frequency rank #61,111 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.