spatter
/ˈspætɚ/verb, noun
spatter is spelled S-P-A-T-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 59,387th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “spatter vs splatter” about 1,900 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, spatter means “To splash (someone or something) with small droplets” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in spatter?
| Letters | 7: S-P-A-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 59,387th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is spatter?
Spatter appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 59,387th 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 spatter?
- US /ˈspætɚ/
Spatter has 2 syllables (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-spatter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with spatter
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with spatter?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as spatter from its last stressed vowel (/ætəɹ/):
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 spatter
- spatters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- spattering participle, present
- spattered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spatter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To splash (someone or something) with small droplets.
When my wet chihuahua shook himself, I was spattered with smelly water.
- 2
To cover, or lie upon (something) by having been scattered, as if by splashing.
- 3
To distribute (a liquid) by sprinkling; to sprinkle around.
to spatter blood
- 4
To send out or disperse (something) as if in droplets.
- 5
To send out small droplets; to splash in small droplets (on or against something).
Make sure the pieces of fish are dry before you put them into the hot oil so that it doesn’t spatter.
- 6
obsoleteTo injure by aspersion; to defame.
noun
- 1
A spray or shower of droplets hitting a surface.
- 2
A spot or spots of a substance spattered on a surface.
There was what looked like a spatter of blood on one wall.
- 3
The sound of droplets hitting a surface.
- 4
A burst or series of sounds resembling the sound of droplets hitting a surface.
- 5
A collection of objects scattered like droplets splashed onto a surface.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spatter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | asperger |
| German | bespritzen , spritzen, sprühen , besudeln , Schauer, Regen |
| Portuguese | salpicar |
| Spanish | salpicar, rociar |
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 spatter come from?
Probably from Middle Low German or Dutch spatten (“to spout, burst”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Related to spit (“saliva”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).