spatter

/ˈspætɚ/

//ˈspætɚ// verb

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

"spatter" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spatter” is uncommon English (frequency #59,719 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,719
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To splash (someone or something) with small droplets.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spatter · spatter · English

spatter · rank #59,719 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,719
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH soundstage

Nearest frequency peer: soundstage (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “spatter”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “spatter” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for spatter
PropertyValue
Headwordspatter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈspætɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#59,719
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “spatter” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).spatterfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “soundstage” (#59,718), “spaz” (#59,720), “speared” (#59,721). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spatter” is #59,719. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

spatter is uncommon English at frequency #59,719 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈspætɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for spatter, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Middle Low German or Dutch spatten (“to spout, burst”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Related to spit (“saliva”). The correct English form is spatter, spelled S-P-A-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To splash (someone or something) with small droplets.
  2. 2
    To cover, or lie upon (something) by having been scattered, as if by splashing.
  3. 3
    To distribute (a liquid) by sprinkling; to sprinkle around.
  4. 4
    To send out or disperse (something) as if in droplets.
  5. 5
    To send out small droplets; to splash in small droplets (on or against something).
  6. 6
    To injure by aspersion; to defame.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how spatter appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. When my wet chihuahua shook himself, I was spattered with smelly water.
  2. His axel-tree, and chariot wheeles, all spatterd with the blood Hurl’d from the steeds houes, and the strakes.

Etymology

Probably from Middle Low German or Dutch spatten (“to spout, burst”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Related to spit (“saliva”).

This word in other languages

salpicar(Español)asperger(Français)bespritzen(Deutsch)salpicar(Português)

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

How do you spell "spatter"?
"spatter" is spelled S-P-A-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspætɚ/.
What does "spatter" mean?
As a verb, "spatter" means: To splash (someone or something) with small droplets.
How do you pronounce "spatter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spatter" is /ˈspætɚ/. 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 "spatter"?
Probably from Middle Low German or Dutch spatten (“to spout, burst”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Related to spit (“saliva”). 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 "spatter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

speared#59,721stamper#59,727Smedley#59,710stepper#59,729

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list