spitting image
/ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmɪdʒ/
"spitting-image" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“spitting image” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The exact likeness (of someone); speaking/living image.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | spitting image |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmɪdʒ/ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “spitting image” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for spitting image is 14 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmɪdʒ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The exact likeness (of someone); speaking/living image.".
spitting image has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: An alteration of the earlier spitten image (see spitten). A popular folk etymology explains this phrase as deriving from the idea of a father spitting out a child whole from his mouth, as if giving birth. But spitten image actually developed from spit and i… The correct English form is spitting image, spelled S-P-I-T-T-I-N-G- -I-M-A-G-E.
Definition
- 1The exact likeness (of someone); speaking/living image.
Etymology
An alteration of the earlier spitten image (see spitten). A popular folk etymology explains this phrase as deriving from the idea of a father spitting out a child whole from his mouth, as if giving birth. But spitten image actually developed from spit and image, where spit in this context means “likeness”. Terban further suggests a derivation of this sense of spit from the word spirit, but evidence for this is lacking. Another theory is that the idiom is Biblical, after an image of God spitting into dry earth to make the clay out of which Adam would be formed.
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
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Using “spitting image”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-I-T-T-I-N-G- -I-M-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmɪdʒ/ (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
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.