slaughter

/ˈslɔːtə/

//ˈslɔːtə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“slaughter” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,099. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,099
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The killing of animals, generally for food.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slaughter · slaughter · English

slaughter · rank #9,099 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,099
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH skiing

Nearest frequency peer: skiing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “slaughter”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “slaughter” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for slaughter
PropertyValue
Headwordslaughter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈslɔːtə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,099
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slaughter”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).slaughterlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “skiing” (#9,098), “smashed” (#9,100), “skating” (#9,097). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slaughter” is #9,099. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around slaughter (IPA /ˈslɔːtə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,099 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for slaughter, with forms such as "lsaughter", "salughter", and "slaguhter". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English slaughter, from Old Norse *slahtr, later sláttr, from Proto-Germanic *slahtrą, from Proto-Germanic *slahaną. Equivalent to slay + -ter (as in laughter). Eventually derived from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw”). Relate… The correct English form is slaughter, spelled S-L-A-U-G-H-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The killing of animals, generally for food.
  2. 2
    A massacre; the killing of a large number of people.
  3. 3
    A mass destruction of non-living things.
  4. 4
    A rout or decisive defeat.
  5. 5
    A group of iguanas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book VI, 1773, The First Six Books of Milton's Paradise Lost, Edinburgh, page 416, For ſin, on war and mutual ſlaughter bent.
  2. […] I ſee Th’ Inſulting Tyrant prancing o’er the Field Strow’d with Rome’s Citizens, and drench’d in Slaughter, His Horſe’s Hoofs wet with Patrician Blood.

Etymology

From Middle English slaughter, from Old Norse *slahtr, later sláttr, from Proto-Germanic *slahtrą, from Proto-Germanic *slahaną. Equivalent to slay + -ter (as in laughter). Eventually derived from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw”). Related with Dutch slachten, German schlachten, Finnish lahdata (all “to slaughter”).

This word in other languages

matanza(Español)abattage(Français)Schlachtung(Deutsch)matança(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsaughter
  • salughter
  • slaguhter
  • slaugghter
  • slaughetr
  • slaughhter
  • slaughterr
  • slaughtre
  • slaughtter
  • slaugther
  • slauhgter
  • sllaughter
  • sluaghter
  • sslaughter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slaughter - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lsaughter2salughter2slaguhter2slaugghter1slaughetr2slaughhter1slaughterr1slaughtre2
Edit distance from "slaughter"

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 "slaughter"?
"slaughter" is spelled S-L-A-U-G-H-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslɔːtə/.
What does "slaughter" mean?
As a noun, "slaughter" means: The killing of animals, generally for food.
What are common misspellings of "slaughter"?
Common misspellings include "lsaughter", "salughter", "slaguhter", "slaugghter", "slaughetr". The correct spelling is "slaughter".
How do you pronounce "slaughter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slaughter" is /ˈslɔːtə/. 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 "slaughter"?
From Middle English slaughter, from Old Norse *slahtr, later sláttr, from Proto-Germanic *slahtrą, from Proto-Germanic *slahaną. Equivalent to slay + -ter (as in laughter). Eventually derived from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw... 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 "slaughter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

repeating#9,088synthesis#9,110poisoning#9,082paperwork#9,078

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

promptly14 variantsafterward14 variantscommenting14 variantsdeclining14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list