slather

/ˈslæðə(ɹ)/

//ˈslæðə(ɹ)// verb

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

"slather" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“slather” is uncommon English (frequency #72,769 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,769
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To spread something thickly on something else; to coat well.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slather · slather · English

slather · rank #72,769 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,769
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH skulking

Nearest frequency peer: skulking (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “slather”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for slather
PropertyValue
Headwordslather
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈslæðə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#72,769
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “slather” 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).slatherfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “skulking” (#72,768), “slopestyle” (#72,770), “Slurpee” (#72,771). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slather” is #72,769. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

slather is uncommon English at frequency #72,769 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈslæðə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for slather in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown; attested from early 19th century, in the sense "to slip, slide". For the sense "to rain", compare East Frisian sladdern and northern German schladdern ("to rain noisily"). The correct English form is slather, spelled S-L-A-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To spread something thickly on something else; to coat well.
  2. 2
    To apply generously upon.
  3. 3
    To squander.
  4. 4
    To rain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I slathered jam on my toast.
  2. I slathered my toast with jam.

Etymology

Unknown; attested from early 19th century, in the sense "to slip, slide". For the sense "to rain", compare East Frisian sladdern and northern German schladdern ("to rain noisily").

This word in other languages

auftragen(Deutsch)

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 "slather"?
"slather" is spelled S-L-A-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslæðə(ɹ)/.
What does "slather" mean?
As a verb, "slather" means: To spread something thickly on something else; to coat well.
How do you pronounce "slather"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slather" is /ˈslæðə(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 "slather"?
Unknown; attested from early 19th century, in the sense "to slip, slide". For the sense "to rain", compare East Frisian sladdern and northern German schladdern ("to rain noisily"). 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 "slather", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Slurpee#72,771Southey#72,781speckle#72,782stowage#72,793

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list