sump

/sʌmp/

//sʌmp// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"sump" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sump” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,400. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,400
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sump · sump · English

sump · rank #41,400 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,400
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sullen

Nearest frequency peer: sullen (-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 “sump”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sump” 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).

sump vs sun
50% similar
sump vs SUV
0% similar
sump vs sup
75% similar

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

Key facts for sump
PropertyValue
Headwordsump
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sʌmp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#41,400
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sump”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sullen” (#41,399), “superconducting” (#41,401), “subsidence” (#41,397). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sump” is #41,400. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around sump (IPA /sʌmp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,400 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for sump, with forms such as "smup", "ssump", and "summp". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sun", "SUV", "sup", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is sump, spelled S-U-M-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink.
  2. 2
    The lowest part of a mineshaft into which water drains.
  3. 3
    A completely flooded cave passage, sometimes passable by diving.
  4. 4
    The crankcase or oil reservoir of an internal combustion engine.
  5. 5
    The pit at the lowest point in a circulating or drainage system (FM 55-501).
  6. 6
    An intentional depression around a drain or scupper that promotes drainage.
  7. 7
    A sudden or heavy fall of rain; a deluge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. then, seating himself thus, he replied to him of the east.—'Sounding sump o' rain Saunders Creeshmeloof—saw ye ever a drap o' rain for eight and forty hours after the bonnie sinking sun that sat sae red and sae lang on the summit of Blackwood hills this blessed afternoon? That starry plow o' thine is […]'
  2. "Me and the lads did it this morn." "It was pouring!" Brody said. "If I was tae stop an activity because of a sump o' rain, I'd never get anythin' done," Finn remarked with a twinkle in his eye.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

bassin(Français)Sumpf(Deutsch)cárter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • smup
  • ssump
  • summp
  • sumpp
  • supm
  • usmp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sump - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

smup2ssump1summp1sumpp1supm2usmp2
Edit distance from "sump"

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 "sump"?
"sump" is spelled S-U-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /sʌmp/.
What does "sump" mean?
As a noun, "sump" means: A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink.
What words are commonly confused with "sump"?
"sump" is commonly confused with "sun", "SUV", "sup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sump"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sump" is /sʌmp/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "sump"?
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. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 "sump", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Taos#41,409slop#41,380Seri#41,376sear#41,374

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

taffy6 variantsstade6 variantswaxy6 variantsyou's6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list