# sponge

> English word · Noun · IPA /spʌnd͡ʒ/ · frequency rank #13,246

## Definitions
1. Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
2. A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).
3. The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.
4. A heavy drinker.
5. A type of light cake.
6. A type of steamed pudding.
7. A person who takes advantage of the generosity of others (abstractly imagined to absorb or soak up the money or efforts of others like a sponge).
8. A person who readily absorbs ideas.
9. A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.
10. Any sponge-like substance.
11. Any sponge-like substance.
12. Any sponge-like substance.
13. A mop for cleaning the bore of a cannon after a discharge. It consists of a cylinder of wood, covered with sheepskin with the wool on, or cloth with a heavy looped nap, and having a handle, or staff.
14. The extremity, or point, of a horseshoe, corresponding to the heel.
15. A nuclear power plant worker routinely exposed to radiation.

## Etymology
From Middle English sponge, from Old English spunge, taken from Latin spongia, from Ancient Greek σπογγιά (spongiá), from σπόγγος (spóngos).

## Easily confused with
- **stone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sponge-vs-stone)
- **spore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sponge-vs-spore)
- **spouse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sponge-vs-spouse)
- **stooge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sponge-vs-stooge)
- **spongy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sponge-vs-spongy)
- **song** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/song-vs-sponge)
- **sone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sone-vs-sponge)
- **songs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/songs-vs-sponge)
- **spoke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spoke-vs-sponge)
- **spine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spine-vs-sponge)
- **shone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shone-vs-sponge)
- **scone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scone-vs-sponge)
- **Seong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seong-vs-sponge)
- **Spence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spence-vs-sponge)

## Common misspellings (9)
`psonge`, `sopnge`, `spnoge`, `spogne`, `sponeg`, `spongge`, `sponnge`, `spponge`, `ssponge`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sponge