sputtering

noun

"sputtering" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sputtering” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,533. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,533
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A noise that sputters.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sputtering · sputtering · English

sputtering · rank #35,533 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,533
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spurt

Nearest frequency peer: spurt (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “sputtering”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “sputtering” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sputtering vs stuttering
90% similar
sputtering vs scattering
80% similar
sputtering vs shattering
80% similar

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

Key facts for sputtering
PropertyValue
Headwordsputtering
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#35,533
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sputtering”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “spurt” (#35,532), “SSA” (#35,534), “sprouting” (#35,531). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sputtering” is #35,533. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around sputtering, anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,533 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for sputtering, with forms such as "psuttering", "spputtering", and "sptutering". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "stuttering", "scattering", "shattering", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is sputtering, spelled S-P-U-T-T-E-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A noise that sputters.
  2. 2
    The ejection of atoms from the surface of a solid or liquid following bombardment with ions, atoms or molecules; used to prepare a thin layer of material on an object.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how sputtering appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, seated in the rows where the first violins are typically located, contributed an array of haunting vocal sounds: hushed hums, sustained high tones, sputterings and more.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psuttering
  • spputtering
  • sptutering
  • sputering
  • sputetring
  • sputteirng
  • sputterign
  • sputteringg
  • sputterinng
  • sputternig
  • sputterring
  • sputtreing
  • ssputtering
  • supttering

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sputtering - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

psuttering2spputtering1sptutering2sputering1sputetring2sputteirng2sputterign2sputteringg1
Edit distance from "sputtering"

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 "sputtering"?
"sputtering" is spelled S-P-U-T-T-E-R-I-N-G.
What does "sputtering" mean?
As a noun, "sputtering" means: A noise that sputters.
What words are commonly confused with "sputtering"?
"sputtering" is commonly confused with "stuttering", "scattering", "shattering". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "sputtering" come from?
"sputtering" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sputtering", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list