slump

/slʌmp/

//slʌmp// verb

"slump" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“slump” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,187. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,187
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To collapse heavily or helplessly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slump · slump · English

slump · rank #18,187 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,187
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slapping

Nearest frequency peer: slapping (-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 “slump”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slump” 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).

slump vs sum
60% similar
slump vs sup
60% similar
slump vs SMP
0% similar

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

Key facts for slump
PropertyValue
Headwordslump
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/slʌmp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,187
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slump”

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).slumplands 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 “slapping” (#18,186), “soften” (#18,188), “sixties” (#18,185). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slump” is #18,187. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around slump (IPA /slʌmp/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,187 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for slump, with forms such as "lsump", "sllump", and "slmup". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sum", "sup", "SMP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably of North Germanic origin: compare Danish slumpe (“to stumble upon by chance”), Norwegian slumpe (“happen by chance”), Norwegian slumpa (“happen by chance”), Swedish slumpa (“randomize; to sell off”), Swedish slump (“chance, randomness, happenstance… The correct English form is slump, spelled S-L-U-M-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To collapse heavily or helplessly.
  2. 2
    To decline or fall off in activity or performance.
  3. 3
    To slouch or droop.
  4. 4
    To lump; to throw together messily.
  5. 5
    To fall or sink suddenly through or in, when walking on a surface, as on thawing snow or ice, a bog, etc.
  6. 6
    To cause to collapse; to hit hard; to render unconscious; to kill.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Exhausted, he slumped down onto the sofa.
  2. “Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better.[…]”

Etymology

Probably of North Germanic origin: compare Danish slumpe (“to stumble upon by chance”), Norwegian slumpe (“happen by chance”), Norwegian slumpa (“happen by chance”), Swedish slumpa (“randomize; to sell off”), Swedish slump (“chance, randomness, happenstance”). Compare also German schlumpen (“to trail; draggle; be sloppy”), dialectal Dutch slompen (“to walk clumsily”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lsump
  • sllump
  • slmup
  • slummp
  • slumpp
  • slupm
  • sslump
  • sulmp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slump - 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.

lsump2sllump1slmup2slummp1slumpp1slupm2sslump1sulmp2
Edit distance from "slump"

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 "slump"?
"slump" is spelled S-L-U-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /slʌmp/.
What does "slump" mean?
As a verb, "slump" means: To collapse heavily or helplessly.
What words are commonly confused with "slump"?
"slump" is commonly confused with "sum", "sup", "SMP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slump"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slump" is /slʌmp/. 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 "slump"?
Probably of North Germanic origin: compare Danish slumpe (“to stumble upon by chance”), Norwegian slumpe (“happen by chance”), Norwegian slumpa (“happen by chance”), Swedish slumpa (“randomize; to sell off”), Swedish slump (“chance, randomness, ha... 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 "slump", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list