spaz

/spæz/

//spæz// noun

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

"spaz" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spaz” is uncommon English (frequency #59,720 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,720
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An incompetent or physically uncoordinated person; a spazmo.

Key facts for spaz
PropertyValue
Headwordspaz
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/spæz/
Letters4
Frequency rank#59,720
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “spaz” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). spaz lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

spaz is uncommon English at frequency #59,720 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /spæz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for spaz, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From spastic. The correct English form is spaz, spelled S-P-A-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    An incompetent or physically uncoordinated person; a spazmo.
  2. 2
    A hyperactive, erratically behaving person.
  3. 3
    A tantrum or fit.
  4. 4
    A person with spastic paralysis, spastic cerebral palsy or epilepsy

Etymology

From spastic.

This word in other languages

débile(Français)Spasti(Deutsch)

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 "spaz"?
"spaz" is spelled S-P-A-Z. The IPA pronunciation is /spæz/.
What does "spaz" mean?
As a noun, "spaz" means: An incompetent or physically uncoordinated person; a spazmo.
How do you pronounce "spaz"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spaz" is /spæz/. 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 "spaz"?
From spastic. 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.

Using “spaz”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-A-Z - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /spæz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list