sprout

/spɹaʊt/

//spɹaʊt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sprout” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,219 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#25,219
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sprout vs stout
67% similar
sprout vs strut
67% similar
sprout vs Stroud
50% similar

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

Key facts for sprout
PropertyValue
Headwordsprout
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/spɹaʊt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,219
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sprout” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sprout is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /spɹaʊt/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,219 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sprout, with forms such as "psrout", "sporut", and "spprout". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "stout", "strut", "Stroud", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sproute, either from Middle English sprouten (“to sprout”) (see below); or from Middle Dutch sprute or Middle Low German sprûte (“sprout”), all related to Proto-West Germanic *spreutan. Doublet of spruit. The correct English form is sprout, spelled S-P-R-O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.
  2. 2
    A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.
  3. 3
    A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.
  4. 4
    A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.
  5. 5
    A child.
  6. 6
    A Brussels sprout.

Etymology

From Middle English sproute, either from Middle English sprouten (“to sprout”) (see below); or from Middle Dutch sprute or Middle Low German sprûte (“sprout”), all related to Proto-West Germanic *spreutan. Doublet of spruit.

This word in other languages

brote(Español)pousse(Français)Spross(Deutsch)rebento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: psrout,sporut,spprout,sprotu,sproutt,sprrout,spruot,srpout,ssprout

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psrout2sporut2spprout1sprotu2sproutt1sprrout1spruot2srpout2
Edit distance from "sprout"

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 "sprout"?
"sprout" is spelled S-P-R-O-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /spɹaʊt/.
What does "sprout" mean?
As a noun, "sprout" means: A new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.
What words are commonly confused with "sprout"?
"sprout" is commonly confused with "stout", "strut", "Stroud". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sprout"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sprout" is /spɹaʊt/. 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 "sprout"?
From Middle English sproute, either from Middle English sprouten (“to sprout”) (see below); or from Middle Dutch sprute or Middle Low German sprûte (“sprout”), all related to Proto-West Germanic *spreutan. Doublet of spruit. 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.

Using “sprout”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-P-R-O-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /spɹaʊt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “stout” - see the side-by-side comparison. sprout vs stout
  • 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