spittle

/ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/

//ˈspɪ.t(ə)l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“spittle” is uncommon English (frequency #71,123 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,123
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spittle · spittle · English

spittle · rank #71,123 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,123
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Southwick

Nearest frequency peer: Southwick (-2 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 “spittle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for spittle
PropertyValue
Headwordspittle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/
Letters7
Frequency rank#71,123
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “spittle” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).spittlefalls 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: “Southwick” (#71,121), “spyglass” (#71,126), “squeaker” (#71,127). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spittle” is #71,123. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

spittle is uncommon English at frequency #71,123 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration.
  2. 2
    Something frothy and white that resembles spit.
  3. 3
    Spit-up or drool of an infant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. "Who are you?!" he blurted into the woman's palm, and she shook it off in obvious disgust, wiping spittle onto his D-class uniform.

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

escupida(Español)crachat(Français)Spucke(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 "spittle"?
"spittle" is spelled S-P-I-T-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/.
What does "spittle" mean?
As a noun, "spittle" means: Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration.
How do you pronounce "spittle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spittle" is /ˈspɪ.t(ə)l/. 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 "spittle"?
Alteration of dialectal spattle (by association with spit (noun)), from Old English spātl, which is related to spǣtan (whence spit (verb)). 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 "spittle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Sridevi#71,129sleeker#71,109Silvana#71,103Talbert#71,146

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list