son of a bitch

noun

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

"son-of-a-bitch" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“son of a bitch” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An objectionable, despicable person.

Key facts for son of a bitch
PropertyValue
Headwordson of a bitch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “son of a bitch” sits in English frequency

son of a bitch falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

son of a bitch is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for son of a bitch, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of an earlier phrase represented by Middle English biche-sone (“son of a bitch”, literally “bitch's son”), calqued from Old Norse bikkju-sonr (“son of a bitch”). The correct English form is son of a bitch, spelled S-O-N- -O-F- -A- -B-I-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An objectionable, despicable person.
  2. 2
    Any objectionable thing.
  3. 3
    An impressive, daring, or admirable man.
  4. 4
    A suffering person deemed deserving of compassion.

Etymology

Alteration of an earlier phrase represented by Middle English biche-sone (“son of a bitch”, literally “bitch's son”), calqued from Old Norse bikkju-sonr (“son of a bitch”).

Synonyms

cyka blyatson of a bachelorson of a duckson of a fuckson of a gunson of a nutcrackerson of a sea-cookson of a whoreSOBSOAB

This word in other languages

hijo de puta(Español)fils de pute(Français)Hurensohn(Deutsch)filho da puta(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "son of a bitch"?
"son of a bitch" is spelled S-O-N- -O-F- -A- -B-I-T-C-H.
What does "son of a bitch" mean?
As a noun, "son of a bitch" means: An objectionable, despicable person.
What is the origin of the word "son of a bitch"?
Alteration of an earlier phrase represented by Middle English biche-sone (“son of a bitch”, literally “bitch's son”), calqued from Old Norse bikkju-sonr (“son of a bitch”). 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.

Using “son of a bitch”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-N- -O-F- -A- -B-I-T-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list