sputter
/ˈspʌtɚ/noun, verb
sputter is spelled S-P-U-T-T-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sputter means “Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sputter is sputters.
How many letters and syllables are in sputter?
| Letters | 7: S-P-U-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 73,203rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sputter?
Sputter appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sputter?
- US /ˈspʌtɚ/
Sputter has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sputter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sputter?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sputter from its last stressed vowel (/ʌtəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sputter
- sputters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sputtering participle, present
- sputtered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sputter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles.
- 2
Confused and hasty speech.
verb
- 1
To emit saliva or spit from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking.
- 2
To speak so rapidly as to emit saliva; to utter words hastily and indistinctly, with a spluttering sound, as in rage.
- 3
To throw out anything, as little jets of steam, with a noise like that made by one sputtering.
- 4
To cause surface atoms or electrons of a solid to be ejected by bombarding it with heavy atoms or ions.
- 5
To coat the surface of an object by sputtering.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sputter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | postillonner , pulvériser , revêtir, métalliser |
| German | spucken , mit feuchter Aussprache sprechen |
| Spanish | farfullar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sputter come from?
Probably representing Middle English *sputren, *sputrien, a frequentative form of Middle English sputen (“to spout, vomit”), equivalent to spout + -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian spüttern (“to inject, spray, splash”), West Frisian sputterje (“to sputter”), Dutch sputteren (“to sputter”), Low German sputtern, spruttern (“to sprinkle”), German sprudeln (“to spout, squirt”). Compare splutter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).