spleen

/spliːn/

//spliːn// noun

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

"spleen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spleen” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,321 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#24,321
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the left upper abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells, removes debris from the bloodstream, acts as a r...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

spleen vs spree
67% similar
spleen vs steen
67% similar
spleen vs spoken
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for spleen
PropertyValue
Headwordspleen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/spliːn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#24,321
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “spleen” 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). spleen lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for spleen is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /spliːn/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,321 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for spleen, with forms such as "psleen", "slpeen", and "spelen". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "spree", "steen", "spoken", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English splene, splen, from Anglo-Norman espleen and Old French esplein, esplen, from Latin splēn (“milt”), from Ancient Greek σπλήν (splḗn, “the spleen”). Doublet of lien. Partially displaced the native English term milt. The correct English form is spleen, spelled S-P-L-E-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the left upper abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells, removes debris from the bloodstream, acts as a reservoir of blood, and produces lymphocytes.
  2. 2
    A bad mood; spitefulness. Compare gall.
  3. 3
    A sudden motion or action; a fit; a freak; a whim.
  4. 4
    Melancholy; hypochondriacal affections.
  5. 5
    A fit of immoderate laughter or merriment.

Etymology

From Middle English splene, splen, from Anglo-Norman espleen and Old French esplein, esplen, from Latin splēn (“milt”), from Ancient Greek σπλήν (splḗn, “the spleen”). Doublet of lien. Partially displaced the native English term milt.

Synonyms

lienmilt

This word in other languages

bazo(Español)rate(Français)Milz(Deutsch)baço(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: psleen,slpeen,spelen,spleenn,splen,splene,splleen,sppleen,sspleen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of spleen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

psleen2slpeen2spelen2spleenn1splen1splene2splleen1sppleen1
Edit distance from "spleen"

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 "spleen"?
"spleen" is spelled S-P-L-E-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /spliːn/.
What does "spleen" mean?
As a noun, "spleen" means: In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless vascular gland, located in the left upper abdomen near the stomach, which destroys old red blood cells, removes debris from the bloodstream, acts as a r...
What words are commonly confused with "spleen"?
"spleen" is commonly confused with "spree", "steen", "spoken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spleen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spleen" is /spliːn/. 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 "spleen"?
From Middle English splene, splen, from Anglo-Norman espleen and Old French esplein, esplen, from Latin splēn (“milt”), from Ancient Greek σπλήν (splḗn, “the spleen”). Doublet of lien. Partially displaced the native English term milt. 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 “spleen”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-L-E-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /spliːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “spree” - see the side-by-side comparison. spleen vs spree
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list