spurge
/spɜːdʒ/
"spurge" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“spurge” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any plant of the genus Euphorbia, a diverse genus of over 2,000 species.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | spurge |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /spɜːdʒ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “spurge” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
spurge is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /spɜːdʒ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for spurge in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Old French espurgebor. Middle English spurge English spurge Inherited from Middle English spurge, from Old French espurge, from espurgier (“to purge”), from Latin expurgo (“I purge”); the bitter milky sap of these plants was formerly used as … The correct English form is spurge, spelled S-P-U-R-G-E.
Definition
- 1Any plant of the genus Euphorbia, a diverse genus of over 2,000 species.
- 2Any plant of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.
- 3A plant resembling those in genus Euphorbia in some aspect of its appearance.
Etymology
Etymology tree Old French espurgebor. Middle English spurge English spurge Inherited from Middle English spurge, from Old French espurge, from espurgier (“to purge”), from Latin expurgo (“I purge”); the bitter milky sap of these plants was formerly used as a purgative.
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
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Using “spurge”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-U-R-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /spɜːdʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.