spring to mind

verb

"spring-to-mind" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“spring to mind” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.

Key facts for spring to mind
PropertyValue
Headwordspring to mind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “spring to mind” sits in English frequency

spring to mind falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for spring to mind is 14 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.".

No misspelling variants are generated for spring to mind in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is spring to mind, spelled S-P-R-I-N-G- -T-O- -M-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.

Synonyms

come to mindleap to mind

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

How do you spell "spring to mind"?
"spring to mind" is spelled S-P-R-I-N-G- -T-O- -M-I-N-D.
What does "spring to mind" mean?
As a verb, "spring to mind" means: To appear suddenly in one's thoughts, often as an example of something.
What language does "spring to mind" come from?
"spring to mind" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “spring to mind”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-R-I-N-G- -T-O- -M-I-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list