slither

/ˈslɪð.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈslɪð.ə(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“slither” is uncommon English (frequency #51,399 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,399
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To move about smoothly and from side to side.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slither · slither · English

slither · rank #51,399 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,399
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH smallish

Nearest frequency peer: smallish (+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 “slither”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for slither
PropertyValue
Headwordslither
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈslɪð.ə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#51,399
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “slither” 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).slitherfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “smallish” (#51,400), “snobbery” (#51,403), “Simran” (#51,394). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slither” is #51,399. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

slither is uncommon English at frequency #51,399 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈslɪð.ə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for slither, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent to slide +… The correct English form is slither, spelled S-L-I-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move about smoothly and from side to side.
  2. 2
    To slide.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [Indiana:] Wave it at anything that slithers. [Marion:] The whole place is slithering!
  2. She also had a map of the building, not that it was very large, and she'd memorized the layout. The guard station would be right around the corner, and there ought to be a counter about the height of a half-wall looking out over the corridor with only a bulletin board on the opposite wall. She crouched down, and slithered left.

Etymology

From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent to slide + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Dutch slidderen (“to slip, wriggle, slither”), German schlittern (“to slither, skid”). More at slide.

This word in other languages

reptar(Español)ramper(Français)schlittern(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 "slither"?
"slither" is spelled S-L-I-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslɪð.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "slither" mean?
As a verb, "slither" means: To move about smoothly and from side to side.
How do you pronounce "slither"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slither" is /ˈslɪð.ə(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 "slither"?
From Middle English slitheren, alteration of slideren (“to slither, creep”), from Old English slidrian (“to slip, slide, slither”), from Proto-West Germanic *slidrōn (“to slide, slither”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleydʰ- (“to slip”), equivalent ... 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 "slither", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

spiller#51,407stapler#51,414rubella#51,375Strahan#51,423

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list