spoon-feed
/ˈspunˌfid/
"spoon-feed" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“spoon-feed” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To help somebody (usually a baby or elder) to eat using a spoon; to feed using a spoon.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | spoon-feed |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈspunˌfid/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “spoon-feed” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
spoon-feed is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈspunˌfid/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for spoon-feed in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From spoon + feed. The correct English form is spoon-feed, spelled S-P-O-O-N---F-E-E-D.
Definition
- 1To help somebody (usually a baby or elder) to eat using a spoon; to feed using a spoon.
- 2To overly pamper or indulge (someone), so that they do not (or because they failed to) act or think for themselves.
- 3To give (something) in an overly pampering way, so that the recipients do not (or because they failed to) act or think for themselves.
- 4To explain (something, to someone) in simple words; to explain (it, to them) in words of one syllable; to spell (it) out (for them).
Etymology
From spoon + feed.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “spoon-feed”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-O-O-N---F-E-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈspunˌfid/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.