sprig

/spɹɪɡ/

//spɹɪɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sprig” is uncommon English (frequency #57,730 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,730
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sprig · sprig · English

sprig · rank #57,730 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,730
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spay

Nearest frequency peer: spay (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “sprig”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sprig” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sprig
PropertyValue
Headwordsprig
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/spɹɪɡ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#57,730
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sprig” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sprigfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “spay” (#57,728), “spacewalk” (#57,727), “soundproof” (#57,725). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sprig” is #57,730. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sprig is uncommon English at frequency #57,730 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /spɹɪɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for sprig in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), English spray (“branch”), Old Engl… The correct English form is sprig, spelled S-P-R-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.
  2. 2
    An ornament resembling a small shoot or twig.
  3. 3
    One of the separate pieces of lace fastened on a ground in applique lace.
  4. 4
    A youth; a lad.
  5. 5
    A brad, or nail without a head.
  6. 6
    A small eyebolt ragged or barbed at the point.
  7. 7
    A house sparrow.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a sprig of laurel or of parsley
  2. […] from this bush in the dooryard, / With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green, / A sprig with its flower I break.

Etymology

From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), English spray (“branch”), Old English spræc (“a shoot”), German Low German Spricke, Sprick (“dry branch, twig”).

This word in other languages

muchacho(Español)brin(Français)Büschel(Deutsch)

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 "sprig"?
"sprig" is spelled S-P-R-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is /spɹɪɡ/.
What does "sprig" mean?
As a noun, "sprig" means: A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.
How do you pronounce "sprig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sprig" is /spɹɪɡ/. 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 "sprig"?
From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), English spray (“branch”)... 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 "sprig", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

singe#57,713tarry#57,758sated#57,696Trini#57,784

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list