spoonerism
/ˈspuː.nəɹˌɪ.zəm/
"spoonerism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“spoonerism” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | spoonerism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈspuː.nəɹˌɪ.zəm/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “spoonerism” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
spoonerism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈspuː.nəɹˌɪ.zəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed.".
No misspelling variants are generated for spoonerism in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Spooner + -ism, named after Oxford don Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), who is supposed to have habitually made such slip-ups. The correct English form is spoonerism, spelled S-P-O-O-N-E-R-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1A play on words on a phrase in which the initial (usually consonantal) sounds of two or more of the main words are transposed.
Etymology
From Spooner + -ism, named after Oxford don Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), who is supposed to have habitually made such slip-ups.
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 “spoonerism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-O-O-N-E-R-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈspuː.nəɹˌɪ.zəm/ (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.