sledgehammer
/ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmə/
"sledgehammer" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sledgehammer” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,764 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #31,764
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A hammer that consists of a large, heavy, broad and flat block of metal (the head) attached to a handle typically 0.5 meter to 1 meter long. The sledgehammer's design is meant to allow it to be swu...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sledgehammer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmə/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #31,764 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sledgehammer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for sledgehammer is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmə/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,764 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A hammer that consists of a large, heavy, broad and flat block of metal (the head) attached to a handle typically 0.5 meter to 1 meter long. The sledgehammer's design is meant to allow it to be swu...".
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for sledgehammer, with forms such as "lsedgehammer", "seldgehammer", and "sldegehammer". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Compound of sledge + hammer. The correct English form is sledgehammer, spelled S-L-E-D-G-E-H-A-M-M-E-R.
Definition
- 1A hammer that consists of a large, heavy, broad and flat block of metal (the head) attached to a handle typically 0.5 meter to 1 meter long. The sledgehammer's design is meant to allow it to be swung powerfully, and to distribute force over a wide area upon impact.
Etymology
Compound of sledge + hammer.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lsedgehammer,seldgehammer,sldegehammer,sleddgehammer,sledeghammer,sledgeahmmer,sledgehamemr,sledgehamer,sledgehammerr,sledgehammre,sledgehhammer,sledgehmamer,sledggehammer,sledgheammer,slegdehammer,slledgehammer,ssledgehammer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sledgehammer - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "sledgehammer"?
What does "sledgehammer" mean?
What are common misspellings of "sledgehammer"?
How do you pronounce "sledgehammer"?
What is the origin of the word "sledgehammer"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “sledgehammer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-L-E-D-G-E-H-A-M-M-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈslɛd͡ʒhæmə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.