spree

/spɹiː/

//spɹiː// noun

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

"spree" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spree” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,812. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,812
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Uninhibited activity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spree · spree · English

spree · rank #13,812 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,812
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sparkling

Nearest frequency peer: sparkling (-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 “spree”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spree” 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).

spree vs sure
60% similar
spree vs surge
60% similar
spree vs strep
60% similar

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

Key facts for spree
PropertyValue
Headwordspree
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/spɹiː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,812
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spree”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).spreelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “sparkling” (#13,811), “Stafford” (#13,813), “Shelby” (#13,810). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spree” is #13,812. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around spree (IPA /spɹiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,812 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for spree, with forms such as "psree", "spere", and "sppree". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sure", "surge", "strep", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. According to Douglas Harper’s Online Etymological Dictionary, “a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps [Barnhart] an alteration of French esprit (“lively wit”) (see esprit). According to Klein, Irish spré seems to be a loan-word from Old Norse sprakr. … The correct English form is spree, spelled S-P-R-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Uninhibited activity.
  2. 2
    A merry frolic; especially, a drinking frolic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. spending spree
  2. Then all three major builders were called upon to deliver 105 Berkshires before the buying spree was over.

Etymology

Unknown. According to Douglas Harper’s Online Etymological Dictionary, “a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps [Barnhart] an alteration of French esprit (“lively wit”) (see esprit). According to Klein, Irish spré seems to be a loan-word from Old Norse sprakr. Watkins proposes a possible origin as an alteration of Scots spreath (“cattle raid”), from Gaelic sprédh, spré (“cattle; wealth”), from Middle Irish preit, preid (“booty”), ultimately from Latin praeda (“plunder, booty”)”.

This word in other languages

frénésie(Français)Spaß(Deutsch)farra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psree
  • spere
  • sppree
  • spre
  • sprree
  • srpee
  • sspree

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of spree - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

psree2spere2sppree1spre1sprree1srpee2sspree1
Edit distance from "spree"

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 "spree"?
"spree" is spelled S-P-R-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /spɹiː/.
What does "spree" mean?
As a noun, "spree" means: Uninhibited activity.
What words are commonly confused with "spree"?
"spree" is commonly confused with "sure", "surge", "strep". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spree"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spree" is /spɹiː/. 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 "spree"?
Unknown. According to Douglas Harper’s Online Etymological Dictionary, “a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps [Barnhart] an alteration of French esprit (“lively wit”) (see esprit). According to Klein, Irish spré seems to be a loan-word from Old Nors... 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 "spree", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

savvy#13,804rhyme#13,800vapor#13,834psalm#13,789

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

tanner7 variantspagan7 variantswoven7 variantspaced7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list