slippery

/ˈslɪpəɹi/

//ˈslɪpəɹi// adj

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

"slippery" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“slippery” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,860. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,860
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slippery · slippery · English

slippery · rank #12,860 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,860
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SL

Nearest frequency peer: SL (-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 “slippery”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slippery” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

slippery vs slipped
75% similar
slippery vs skipper
75% similar
slippery vs slipper
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for slippery
PropertyValue
Headwordslippery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈslɪpəɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#12,860
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slippery”

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).slipperylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “SL” (#12,859), “slips” (#12,861), “simulator” (#12,858). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slippery” is #12,860. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around slippery (IPA /ˈslɪpəɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,860 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for slippery, with forms such as "lsippery", "silppery", and "slipepry". 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. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "slipped", "skipper", "slipper", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English slipperie, an extended form ( + -y) of Middle English slipper, sliper (“slippery”), from Old English slipor (“slippery”), from Proto-Germanic *slipraz (“smooth, slippery”), equivalent to slip + -er. Compare also Middle English slibbri, s… The correct English form is slippery, spelled S-L-I-P-P-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.
  2. 2
    Evasive; difficult to pin down.
  3. 3
    Liable to slip; not standing firm.
  4. 4
    Unstable; changeable; inconstant.
  5. 5
    Wanton; unchaste; loose in morals.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Oily substances render things slippery.
  2. The screeching of brakes, the monotonous blare of motor horns, the clip-clip of shoes on slippery pavements, the rustling of wet mackintoshes were all part of the great metropolis.

Etymology

From Middle English slipperie, an extended form ( + -y) of Middle English slipper, sliper (“slippery”), from Old English slipor (“slippery”), from Proto-Germanic *slipraz (“smooth, slippery”), equivalent to slip + -er. Compare also Middle English slibbri, slubbri (“slippery”) borrowed from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German slibberich (“slippery”). Cognate with German schlüpfrig (“slippery”), Danish slibrig (“slippery”), Swedish slipprig (“slippery”).

Synonyms

greasyslickslimyslippywetslitheryglibberyglidderglidderylubriclubriciouslubricousslabberyslapeslidderslidderyslideyslidyslipperyslippery as an eel

Antonyms

stickyadhesivenonslipperynonslip

This word in other languages

resbaladizo(Español)glissant(Français)rutschig(Deutsch)liso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsippery
  • silppery
  • slipepry
  • slipery
  • slipperry
  • slipperyy
  • slippeyr
  • slipprey
  • sllippery
  • slpipery
  • sslippery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slippery - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

lsippery2silppery2slipepry2slipery1slipperry1slipperyy1slippeyr2slipprey2
Edit distance from "slippery"

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 "slippery"?
"slippery" is spelled S-L-I-P-P-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslɪpəɹi/.
What does "slippery" mean?
As an adjective, "slippery" means: Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "slippery"?
"slippery" is commonly confused with "slipped", "skipper", "slipper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slippery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slippery" is /ˈslɪpəɹi/. 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 "slippery"?
From Middle English slipperie, an extended form ( + -y) of Middle English slipper, sliper (“slippery”), from Old English slipor (“slippery”), from Proto-Germanic *slipraz (“smooth, slippery”), equivalent to slip + -er. Compare also Middle English ... 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 "slippery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

resisted#12,851suicidal#12,869reformed#12,842precinct#12,835

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

sibling11 variantsonwards11 variantsArmenian11 variantsmosquito11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list