spark plug

noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The part of some internal combustion engines which forms a high-voltage electric spark which ignites the fuel-air mixture to begin the power stroke. (Petrol engines have spark plugs. Diesel engines...

Key facts for spark plug
PropertyValue
Headwordspark plug
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “spark plug” sits in English frequency

spark plug 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

spark plug is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for spark plug, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is spark plug, spelled S-P-A-R-K- -P-L-U-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of some internal combustion engines which forms a high-voltage electric spark which ignites the fuel-air mixture to begin the power stroke. (Petrol engines have spark plugs. Diesel engines do not have them because the heat from their high compression ratios supplies the ignition.)
  2. 2
    Someone who is a driving force in new endeavours.
  3. 3
    A rod (for cylindrical secondaries) or sphere (for spherical secondaries) of fissile material at the center of the secondary of a multistage thermonuclear weapon, which undergoes nuclear fission when compressed to supercriticality by the imploding secondary, helping to raise the secondary to the pressures and temperatures necessary to ignite nuclear fusion in the secondary's fusion fuel.

This word in other languages

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 "spark plug"?
"spark plug" is spelled S-P-A-R-K- -P-L-U-G.
What does "spark plug" mean?
As a noun, "spark plug" means: The part of some internal combustion engines which forms a high-voltage electric spark which ignites the fuel-air mixture to begin the power stroke. (Petrol engines have spark plugs. Diesel engines...
What language does "spark plug" come from?
"spark plug" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “spark plug”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-A-R-K- -P-L-U-G - 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