slumber

/ˈslʌm.bə/

//ˈslʌm.bə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“slumber” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,510. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,510
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A very light state of sleep, almost awake.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slumber · slumber · English

slumber · rank #22,510 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,510
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slabs

Nearest frequency peer: slabs (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “slumber”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “slumber” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

slumber vs summer
71% similar
slumber vs Sumner
57% similar
slumber vs somber
71% similar

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

Key facts for slumber
PropertyValue
Headwordslumber
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈslʌm.bə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,510
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “slumber” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).slumberlands 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 “slabs” (#22,509), “slums” (#22,511), “skyscraper” (#22,508). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around slumber (IPA /ˈslʌm.bə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,510 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for slumber, with forms such as "lsumber", "sllumber", and "slmuber". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "summer", "Sumner", "somber", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English slombren, slomren, frequentative of Middle English slummen, slumen (“to doze”), probably from Middle English slume (“slumber”), from Old English slūma, from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“slack, loose, limp, flabby”), from Proto-Indo-European *… The correct English form is slumber, spelled S-L-U-M-B-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A very light state of sleep, almost awake.
  2. 2
    A very light state of sleep, almost awake.
  3. 3
    A state of ignorance or inaction.
  4. 4
    The snooze button on an alarm clock.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fast asleep? It is no matter; / Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber.
  2. Ev’n Luſt and Envy ſleep, yet Love denies / Reſt to my Soul, and ſlumber to my Eyes.

Etymology

From Middle English slombren, slomren, frequentative of Middle English slummen, slumen (“to doze”), probably from Middle English slume (“slumber”), from Old English slūma, from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“slack, loose, limp, flabby”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“loose, limp, flabby”). Cognate with West Frisian slommerje, slûmerje (“to slumber”), Dutch sluimeren (“to slumber”), German schlummern (“to slumber, doze”), Swedish slummer (“to slumber”). By surface analysis, sloom + -er.

This word in other languages

adormecimiento(Español)somnolence(Français)Halbschlaf(Deutsch)pestana(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsumber
  • sllumber
  • slmuber
  • slubmer
  • slumbber
  • slumberr
  • slumbre
  • slumebr
  • slummber
  • sslumber
  • sulmber

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slumber - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

lsumber2sllumber1slmuber2slubmer2slumbber1slumberr1slumbre2slumebr2
Edit distance from "slumber"

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 "slumber"?
"slumber" is spelled S-L-U-M-B-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslʌm.bə/.
What does "slumber" mean?
As a noun, "slumber" means: A very light state of sleep, almost awake.
What words are commonly confused with "slumber"?
"slumber" is commonly confused with "summer", "Sumner", "somber". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slumber"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slumber" is /ˈslʌm.bə/. 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 "slumber"?
From Middle English slombren, slomren, frequentative of Middle English slummen, slumen (“to doze”), probably from Middle English slume (“slumber”), from Old English slūma, from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“slack, loose, limp, flabby”), from Proto-Indo-... 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 "slumber", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

staunch#22,515Terence#22,525Ugandan#22,534warmest#22,548

Similar misspelling depth

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

stiffness11 variantsTunisian11 variantsrattling11 variantsWinslow11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "slumber". Here's where to go from here.

  • "slumber" maps to 7 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "summer". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #22,510 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list