spittle
/ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/
"spittle" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“spittle” is an uncommon English word, ranked #71,123 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #71,123
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | spittle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #71,123 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “spittle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for spittle is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #71,123 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for spittle, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of dialectal spattle (by association with spit (noun)), from Old English spātl, which is related to spǣtan (whence spit (verb)). The correct English form is spittle, spelled S-P-I-T-T-L-E.
Definition
- 1Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration.
- 2Something frothy and white that resembles spit.
- 3Spit-up or drool of an infant.
Etymology
Alteration of dialectal spattle (by association with spit (noun)), from Old English spātl, which is related to spǣtan (whence spit (verb)).
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); 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
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Using “spittle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-I-T-T-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/ (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.