sourdough
sour·dough/ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/noun
sourdough is spelled S-O-U-R-D-O-U-G-H: 9 letters and 2 syllables (sour·dough). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sourdough means “A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sourdough is sourdoughs.
How many letters and syllables are in sourdough?
| Letters | 9: S-O-U-R-D-O-U-G-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sour·dough |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is sourdough?
Sourdough appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sourdough?
- US /ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/
- UK /ˈsaʊəˌdəʊ/
Sourdough has 2 syllables, split sour·dough in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-sourdough.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with sourdough
Also written: sour-dough (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of sourdough
- sourdoughs plural
- sour dough
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sourdough mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste.
- 2
slangAn old-timer, especially in Alaska.
The troops went for those fresh tomatoes like sourdoughs going for gold in the Klondike.
- 3
A permanent resident of the territory. Someone who has lived in the Yukon during all four seasons.
- 4
A 49er, a California Gold Rush miner.
- 5
obsoleteLeaven; an agent that makes dough rise.
noun
- 1
colloquialdatedA long-time resident of Alaska.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sourdough in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dough:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | levain |
| German | Sauerteig |
| Portuguese | massa azeda |
| Spanish | masa madre |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sourdough come from?
From Middle English sour dogh, equivalent to sour + dough. Compare Saterland Frisian Suurdee (“sourdough”), Dutch zuurdeeg (“sourdough”), Low German Suurdeeg (“sourdough”), German Sauerteig (“sourdough”), Danish surdej (“sourdough”), Swedish surdeg (“sourdough”), Icelandic súrdeig (“sourdough”). The senses pertaining to California, Alaska and the Yukon derive from the distinctive pouches of bread starter (starter dough used to make sourdough) worn on a belt or around the neck by experienced prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush and California Gold Rush.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).