snoop

/snuːp/

//snuːp// verb

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

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

The verdict

“snoop” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,249. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,249
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-snoop · snoop · English

snoop · rank #17,249 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,249
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Smithsonian

Nearest frequency peer: Smithsonian (-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 “snoop”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “snoop” 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).

snoop vs SNP
0% similar
snoop vs sop
60% similar
snoop vs stop
60% similar

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

Key facts for snoop
PropertyValue
Headwordsnoop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/snuːp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,249
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “snoop”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).snooplands 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 “Smithsonian” (#17,248), “smiley” (#17,247), “sly” (#17,246). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “snoop” is #17,249. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around snoop (IPA /snuːp/), averb. Corpus frequency is #17,249 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for snoop, with forms such as "nsoop", "snnoop", and "snoopp". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "SNP", "sop", "stop", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”). Related to Dutch and Low German snappen (“to bite, seize”), Dutch snavel (“beak, bill, pecker, neb”), German Schnabel (“beak, bill, mouth”). More at snap. The correct English form is snoop, spelled S-N-O-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
  2. 2
    To secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others.
  3. 3
    To steal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If I had not snooped on her, I wouldn't have found out that she lied about her degree.
  2. “Look, I tell you what, Mac. Seeing how as you're my best friend” “Yeah!” “Maybe you can look into it for me. Go snoop around the shop.” “Can-can I stop you for a second? I'm sorry. I'm a little confused here. You-you just said that he was your best friend? How is he your best friend over me?” “Well, I mean... You banged the waitress. Do I even have to ex…

Etymology

From Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”). Related to Dutch and Low German snappen (“to bite, seize”), Dutch snavel (“beak, bill, pecker, neb”), German Schnabel (“beak, bill, mouth”). More at snap.

This word in other languages

disimulado(Español)espionner(Français)spionieren(Deutsch)bisbilhotar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nsoop
  • snnoop
  • snoopp
  • snop
  • snopo
  • sonop
  • ssnoop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nsoop2snnoop1snoopp1snop1snopo2sonop2ssnoop1
Edit distance from "snoop"

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 "snoop"?
"snoop" is spelled S-N-O-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /snuːp/.
What does "snoop" mean?
As a verb, "snoop" means: To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen.
What words are commonly confused with "snoop"?
"snoop" is commonly confused with "SNP", "sop", "stop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "snoop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "snoop" is /snuːp/. 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 "snoop"?
From Dutch snoepen (“to pry, eat in secret, sneak”). Related to Dutch and Low German snappen (“to bite, seize”), Dutch snavel (“beak, bill, pecker, neb”), German Schnabel (“beak, bill, mouth”). More at snap. 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 "snoop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

shear#17,239tenor#17,259Rossi#17,231rosen#17,230

Similar misspelling depth

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

retina7 variantswipes7 variantszebra7 variantsAlbion7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list