splint

/splɪnt/

//splɪnt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“splint” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,933. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,933
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.

Corpus desk

Index EN-splint · splint · English

splint · rank #43,933 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,933
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spiel

Nearest frequency peer: spiel (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “splint”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “splint” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

splint vs split
83% similar
splint vs stint
67% similar
splint vs spring
67% similar

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

Key facts for splint
PropertyValue
Headwordsplint
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/splɪnt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#43,933
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “splint”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “spiel” (#43,932), “spunk” (#43,934), “spellbound” (#43,931). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “splint” is #43,933. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around splint (IPA /splɪnt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,933 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for splint, with forms such as "pslint", "slpint", and "spilnt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "split", "stint", "spring", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English splint, splent, splente, from Middle Low German splinte, splente or Middle Dutch splint, splinte. Cognate with Old High German splinza (“bar, bolt, latch”). All ultimately from Proto-Germanic *splintǭ, *splintō (“piece of wood, splinter”… The correct English form is splint, spelled S-P-L-I-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.
  2. 2
    A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.
  3. 3
    A dental device applied consequent to undergoing orthodontia.
  4. 4
    A device to immobilize a body part.
  5. 5
    A segment of armour consisting of a narrow overlapping plate.
  6. 6
    Synonym of splent coal.
  7. 7
    A bone found on either side of a horse's cannon bone; the second or fourth metacarpal (forelimb) or metatarsal (hindlimb) bone.
  8. 8
    A disease affecting the splint bones, as a callosity or hard excrescence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [...] I saw in the white men's ward that little chap tossing on his back, with his arm in splints, and quite light-headed.
  2. The fore-part of his thighs, where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen, were also covered with linked mail; the knees and feet were defended by splints, or thin plates of steel, ingeniously jointed upon each other; and mail hose, reaching from the ancle to the knee, effectually protected the legs, and completed the rider's defensive armour.

Etymology

From Middle English splint, splent, splente, from Middle Low German splinte, splente or Middle Dutch splint, splinte. Cognate with Old High German splinza (“bar, bolt, latch”). All ultimately from Proto-Germanic *splintǭ, *splintō (“piece of wood, splinter”), from Proto-Germanic *splint-, *splind- (“to split”), from a nasalized form of *splītaną (“to split”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”).

This word in other languages

férula(Español)éclisse(Français)Schiene(Deutsch)tala(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pslint
  • slpint
  • spilnt
  • splinnt
  • splintt
  • splitn
  • spllint
  • splnit
  • spplint
  • ssplint

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of splint - 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.

pslint2slpint2spilnt2splinnt1splintt1splitn2spllint1splnit2
Edit distance from "splint"

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 "splint"?
"splint" is spelled S-P-L-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /splɪnt/.
What does "splint" mean?
As a noun, "splint" means: A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.
What words are commonly confused with "splint"?
"splint" is commonly confused with "split", "stint", "spring". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "splint"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "splint" is /splɪnt/. 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 "splint"?
From Middle English splint, splent, splente, from Middle Low German splinte, splente or Middle Dutch splint, splinte. Cognate with Old High German splinza (“bar, bolt, latch”). All ultimately from Proto-Germanic *splintǭ, *splintō (“piece of wood,... 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 "splint", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Soames#43,927Stepan#43,939slinky#43,921swipes#43,948

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

sardine10 variantstradeoff10 variantstritium10 variantsredline10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list