snipe

/snaɪp/

//snaɪp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“snipe” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,648. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,648
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various limicoline game birds of the genera Gallinago, Lymnocryptes and Coenocorypha in the family Scolopacidae, having a long, slender, nearly straight beak.

Corpus desk

Index EN-snipe · snipe · English

snipe · rank #27,648 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,648
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH snuggle

Nearest frequency peer: snuggle (+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 “snipe”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “snipe” 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).

snipe vs SNP
0% similar
snipe vs suite
60% similar
snipe vs spite
60% similar

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

Key facts for snipe
PropertyValue
Headwordsnipe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/snaɪp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,648
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “snipe”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).snipelands 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 “snuggle” (#27,649), “Smyth” (#27,646), “Sochi” (#27,650). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “snipe” is #27,648. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around snipe (IPA /snaɪp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,648 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for snipe, with forms such as "nsipe", "sinpe", and "sniep". 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, "SNP", "suite", "spite", 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 snipe, snype (a type of bird), from Old Norse snípa, as in mýrisnípa (“moor snipe”). Akin to Norwegian snipe. The verb originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was du… The correct English form is snipe, spelled S-N-I-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various limicoline game birds of the genera Gallinago, Lymnocryptes and Coenocorypha in the family Scolopacidae, having a long, slender, nearly straight beak.
  2. 2
    A fool; a blockhead.
  3. 3
    A shot fired from a concealed place.
  4. 4
    A member of the engineering department on a ship.
  5. 5
    A goal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For I mine own gained knowledge should profane,/ If I would time expend with such a snipe,/ But for my sport and profit.

Etymology

From Middle English snipe, snype (a type of bird), from Old Norse snípa, as in mýrisnípa (“moor snipe”). Akin to Norwegian snipe. The verb originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was dubbed a "sniper". The term sniper was first attested in 1824 in the sense of the word "sharpshooter".

This word in other languages

agachadiza(Español)bécassine(Français)Schnepfe(Deutsch)bobo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nsipe
  • sinpe
  • sniep
  • snippe
  • snnipe
  • snpie
  • ssnipe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nsipe2sinpe2sniep2snippe1snnipe1snpie2ssnipe1
Edit distance from "snipe"

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 "snipe"?
"snipe" is spelled S-N-I-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /snaɪp/.
What does "snipe" mean?
As a noun, "snipe" means: Any of various limicoline game birds of the genera Gallinago, Lymnocryptes and Coenocorypha in the family Scolopacidae, having a long, slender, nearly straight beak.
What words are commonly confused with "snipe"?
"snipe" is commonly confused with "SNP", "suite", "spite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "snipe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "snipe" is /snaɪp/. 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 "snipe"?
From Middle English snipe, snype (a type of bird), from Old Norse snípa, as in mýrisnípa (“moor snipe”). Akin to Norwegian snipe. The verb originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive sn... 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 "snipe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Smyth#27,646Sochi#27,650smirk#27,644stave#27,656

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

swami7 variantstrove7 variantsRambo7 variantspetal7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list