sump
/sʌmp/noun, verb
sump is spelled S-U-M-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sump means “A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sump is sumps.
How many letters and syllables are in sump?
| Letters | 4: S-U-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is sump?
Sump appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th 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 sump?
- /sʌmp/
Sump has one syllable (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: En-us-sump.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sump
- sumps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sumping participle, present
- sumped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sump mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink.
- 2
The lowest part of a mineshaft into which water drains.
- 3
A completely flooded cave passage, sometimes passable by diving.
- 4
The crankcase or oil reservoir of an internal combustion engine.
- 5
The pit at the lowest point in a circulating or drainage system (FM 55-501).
- 6
An intentional depression around a drain or scupper that promotes drainage.
- 7
ScotlandA sudden or heavy fall of rain; a deluge.
verb
- 1
Of a cave passage, to end in a sump, or to fill completely with water on occasion.
We discovered a new passage, but it sumped after 100 metres.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sump in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bassin, fosse d'aisances, puisard , siphon , carter d'huile, carter humide |
| German | Sumpf, Grube , Ölsumpf , Schachtsumpf , sumpfen |
| Portuguese | cárter |
| Spanish | cárter |
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 sump come from?
From Middle English sompe, either from Middle Dutch somp, sump or Middle Low German sump from Old Saxon *sump, from Proto-West Germanic *sump, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz. Doublet of swamp.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).