sputter
/ˈspʌtɚ/
"sputter" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sputter” is an uncommon English word, ranked #73,651 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #73,651
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sputter |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈspʌtɚ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #73,651 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sputter” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for sputter is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈspʌtɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #73,651 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for sputter in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is sputter, spelled S-P-U-T-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles.
- 2Confused and hasty speech.
Etymology
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.
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 "sputter"?
What does "sputter" mean?
How do you pronounce "sputter"?
What is the origin of the word "sputter"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “sputter”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-P-U-T-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈspʌtɚ/ (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.