spread

/spɹɛd/

//spɹɛd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“spread” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,650. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,650
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spread · spread · English

spread · rank #1,650 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,650
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH soul

Nearest frequency peer: soul (-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 “spread”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spread” 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).

spread vs spree
67% similar
spread vs stead
67% similar
spread vs stream
67% similar

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

Key facts for spread
PropertyValue
Headwordspread
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/spɹɛd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,650
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spread”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).spreadlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “soul” (#1,649), “supply” (#1,651), “silver” (#1,648). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spread” is #1,650. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around spread (IPA /spɹɛd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,650 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for spread, with forms such as "psread", "sperad", and "sppread". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "spree", "stead", "stream", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West Frisian sp… The correct English form is spread, spelled S-P-R-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.
  2. 2
    To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread
  3. 3
    To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area.
  4. 4
    To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated.
  5. 5
    To disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present.
  6. 6
    To take up a larger area or space; to expand, be extended.
  7. 7
    To smear, to distribute in a thin layer.
  8. 8
    To cover (something) with a thin layer of some substance, as of butter.
  9. 9
    To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions.
  10. 10
    To open one’s legs, especially for sexual favours.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He spread his newspaper on the table.
  2. I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home.

Etymology

From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West Frisian spriede (“to spread”), North Frisian spriedjen (“to spread”), Dutch spreiden (“to spread”), Low German spreden (“to spread”), German spreiten (“to spread, spread out”), Danish sprede (“to spread”), Norwegian spre, spreie (“to spread, disseminate”), Swedish sprida (“to spread”), Latin spernō, spargō, Ancient Greek σπείρω (speírō), Persian سپردن (sepordan, “to deposit”), English spurn.

Synonyms

disseminatecirculatepropagatediffuseput about

This word in other languages

extender(Español)étaler(Français)verteilen(Deutsch)estender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psread
  • sperad
  • sppread
  • spraed
  • spreadd
  • spreda
  • sprread
  • srpead
  • sspread

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psread2sperad2sppread1spraed2spreadd1spreda2sprread1srpead2
Edit distance from "spread"

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 "spread"?
"spread" is spelled S-P-R-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /spɹɛd/.
What does "spread" mean?
As a verb, "spread" means: To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.
What words are commonly confused with "spread"?
"spread" is commonly confused with "spree", "stead", "stream". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spread"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spread" is /spɹɛd/. 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 "spread"?
From Middle English spreden, from Old English sprǣdan (“to spread, expand”), from Proto-Germanic *spraidijaną (“to spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian spreede (“to spread”), West ... 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 "spread", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

supply#1,651silver#1,648served#1,647artist#1,656

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

selling9 variantsmemory9 variantsmethod9 variantsMonday9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list