sourdough

/ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/

//ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ// noun

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

"sourdough" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sourdough” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,172. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,172
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sourdough · sourdough · English

sourdough · rank #38,172 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,172
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 54,294
  • PHOTO-FINISH so's

Nearest frequency peer: so's (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sourdough”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sourdough” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for sourdough
PropertyValue
Headwordsourdough
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#38,172
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sourdough” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). sourdough lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around sourdough (IPA /ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,172 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for sourdough, with forms such as "osurdough", "sorudough", and "soudrough". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sour dogh, equivalent to sour + dough, compare German Sauerteig and Dutch zuurdeeg. The senses pertaining to California, Alaska and the Yukon derive from the distinctive pouches of bread starter (starter dough used to make sourdough) wor… The correct English form is sourdough, spelled S-O-U-R-D-O-U-G-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste.
  2. 2
    An old-timer, especially in Alaska.
  3. 3
    A permanent resident of the territory. Someone who has lived in the Yukon during all four seasons.
  4. 4
    A 49er, a California Gold Rush miner.
  5. 5
    Leaven; an agent that makes dough rise.

Etymology

From Middle English sour dogh, equivalent to sour + dough, compare German Sauerteig and Dutch zuurdeeg. 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.

This word in other languages

masa madre(Español)levain(Français)Sauerteig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osurdough
  • sorudough
  • soudrough
  • sourddough
  • sourdoguh
  • sourdouggh
  • sourdoughh
  • sourdouhg
  • sourduogh
  • sourodugh
  • sourrdough
  • ssourdough
  • suordough

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sourdough - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

osurdough2sorudough2soudrough2sourddough1sourdoguh2sourdouggh1sourdoughh1sourdouhg2
Edit distance from "sourdough"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sourdough"?
"sourdough" is spelled S-O-U-R-D-O-U-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/.
What does "sourdough" mean?
As a noun, "sourdough" means: A type of bread dough leavened with yeast and lactobacilli that produce acids giving a sour taste.
What are common misspellings of "sourdough"?
Common misspellings include "osurdough", "sorudough", "soudrough", "sourddough", "sourdoguh". The correct spelling is "sourdough".
How do you pronounce "sourdough"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sourdough" is /ˈsaʊɚˌdoʊ/. 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 "sourdough"?
From Middle English sour dogh, equivalent to sour + dough, compare German Sauerteig and Dutch zuurdeeg. The senses pertaining to California, Alaska and the Yukon derive from the distinctive pouches of bread starter (starter dough used to make sour... 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 "sourdough", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

slapstick#38,168Reykjavik#38,135punchline#38,116polygraph#38,105

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

skirting13 variantssurrealism13 variantsSchengen13 variantstenderly13 variants
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