southpaw
/ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/
"southpaw" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“southpaw” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,064. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #49,064
- frequency rank, English
- 6,566
- “S” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
Corpus desk
Index EN-southpaw · southpaw · English
southpaw · rank #49,064 · 12 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #49,064
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-MID 12 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 6,566
- PHOTO-FINISH Southerner
Nearest frequency peer: Southerner (-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 “southpaw”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- solute
solute
50,942 corpus weight
- sombrero
sombrero
50,941 corpus weight
- Southerner
Southerner
50,938 corpus weight
- southpaw
southpaw
50,937 corpus weight
- sprayer
sprayer
50,935 corpus weight
- Stansted
Stansted
50,932 corpus weight
What this shows “southpaw” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | southpaw |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #49,064 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “southpaw”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around southpaw (IPA /ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #49,064 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for southpaw, with forms such as "osuthpaw", "sotuhpaw", and "souhtpaw". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From south + paw. First attested in 1813. Originating from 19th-century ballparks often oriented with the batter facing east to avoid the afternoon sun, placing a left-handed pitcher's arm on the south side. However, earlier usage suggests it may stem from … The correct English form is southpaw, spelled S-O-U-T-H-P-A-W.
Definition
- 1One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
- 2One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
- 3One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how southpaw appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Never touch the food until your host has said grace ("Bismillah") and then not till he has told you to. Eat only with your right hand—it is considered very rude to use the left, even if you are a southpaw.
Since home plate is generally in the southwest corner to avoid glare in the batter's eyes, a southpaw's pitching hand is to the south.
Etymology
From south + paw. First attested in 1813. Originating from 19th-century ballparks often oriented with the batter facing east to avoid the afternoon sun, placing a left-handed pitcher's arm on the south side. However, earlier usage suggests it may stem from 1840s boxing slang for a left-handed punch. For Baseball: * Early 19th-century ballparks were often built with home plate on the west side and the pitcher's mound on the east to prevent the sun from being in the batter's eyes. Consequently, a left-handed pitcher's arm would be facing the southern side of the diamond. For Boxing: * Evidence suggests the term existed before baseball, being used in the 1840s to describe a left-handed punch or "paw" in boxing. A 1848 political cartoon described a "south paw" blow in this context.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- osuthpaw
- sotuhpaw
- souhtpaw
- southapw
- southhpaw
- southpaww
- southppaw
- southpwa
- soutphaw
- soutthpaw
- ssouthpaw
- suothpaw
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of southpaw - 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.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "southpaw", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).