spa
/ˈspɑ/noun
spa is spelled S-P-A: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, spa means “A health resort near a mineral spring or hot spring” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of spa is spas.
How many letters and syllables are in spa?
| Letters | 3: S-P-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.1 times per million words; the 7,553rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is spa?
Spa appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd 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 spa?
- UK /ˈspɑː/
- UK /ˈspɔː/
- US /ˈspɑ/
As a noun (“An idiot; a gobshite”): /spɑː/.
Spa has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-spa.oga, En-au-spa.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with spa
Sounds like: spar (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with spa?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as spa from its last stressed vowel (/ɑ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: sap, pas, asp.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of spa
- spas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spa mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A health resort near a mineral spring or hot spring.
- 2
A trendy or fashionable resort.
- 3
A health club.
They went to a spa for a massage.
- 4
A hot tub.
Their bath is fitted with a spa.
- 5
A convenience store.
- 6
IrelandslangAn idiot; a gobshite
- 7
IrelandslangA clumsy person (see spastic)
noun
- 1
Abbreviation of spondyloarthritis.
noun
- 1
UKInitialism of state pension age.
- 2
Initialism of single-page application.
- 3
Initialism of single-packet authorization.
- 4
Initialism of special power of attorney.
- 5
Initialism of special protection area.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spa in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ville d'eau, spa |
| German | Kurort, Bad, Heilbad , Therme, Saunapark, Spa |
| Portuguese | spa |
| Spanish | spa, balneario |
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 spa come from?
The term is derived from the name of the Belgian town of Spa, where since medieval times illnesses caused by iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (iron-bearing) spring water. In 16ᵗʰ century England the old Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath, and in 1571 William Slingsby who had been to the Belgian town (which he called Spaw) discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire. He built an enclosed well at what became known as Harrogate, the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters, then in 1596 Dr.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).