spoilsport
/ˈspɔɪl.spɔɹt/noun, adjective
spoilsport is spelled S-P-O-I-L-S-P-O-R-T: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, spoilsport means “Someone who puts an end to others' fun, especially harmless fun” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of spoilsport is spoilsports.
How many letters and syllables are in spoilsport?
| Letters | 10: S-P-O-I-L-S-P-O-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 130,282nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is spoilsport?
Spoilsport appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce spoilsport?
- UK /ˈspɔɪl.spɔːt/
- US /ˈspɔɪl.spɔɹt/
Spoilsport has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-spoilsport.ogg, En-au-spoilsport.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of spoilsport
- spoilsports plural
- spoil-sport
- more spoilsport comparative
- most spoilsport superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spoilsport mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who puts an end to others' fun, especially harmless fun.
adjective
- 1
Like a spoilsport.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spoilsport in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense someone who puts an end to harmless fun:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rabat-joie, trouble-fête |
| German | Spielverderber, Spielverderberin, Spaßverderber, Spaßverderberin, Spaßbremse |
| Portuguese | desmancha-prazeres m or f estraga-prazeres |
| Spanish | cortarrollos, aguafiestas, mala onda, muermo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does spoilsport come from?
From the verbal expression spoil sport (“ruin the amusement”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).