supergrass

/ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)ˌɡɹɑːs/

//ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)ˌɡɹɑːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“supergrass” is uncommon English (frequency #95,474 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,474
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An informer providing substantial quantities of information on criminal or terrorist activities to the police.

Corpus desk

Index EN-supergrass · supergrass · English

supergrass · rank #95,474 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,474
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH superfluid

Nearest frequency peer: superfluid (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “supergrass”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “supergrass” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for supergrass
PropertyValue
Headwordsupergrass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)ˌɡɹɑːs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#95,474
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “supergrass” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “superfluid” (#95,473), “superhot” (#95,475), “supramolecular” (#95,477). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “supergrass” is #95,474. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

supergrass is uncommon English at frequency #95,474 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)ˌɡɹɑːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An informer providing substantial quantities of information on criminal or terrorist activities to the police.".

No misspelling variants are generated for supergrass in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From super- + grass, from grass (“an informer”). The correct English form is supergrass, spelled S-U-P-E-R-G-R-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An informer providing substantial quantities of information on criminal or terrorist activities to the police.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I have to tell the hon. and learned Gentleman that I do not know the facts which led to that decision. On the other hand, although it is an unpleasant fact of life, there are now and again occasions on which, in order to achieve convictions against really bad villains, it is necessary to use people who are termed supergrasses.
  2. In several cases the supergrass spent days in the witness box giving evidence of scores of offences allegedly committed by many individuals over a period of years.

Etymology

From super- + grass, from grass (“an informer”).

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 "supergrass"?
"supergrass" is spelled S-U-P-E-R-G-R-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)ˌɡɹɑːs/.
What does "supergrass" mean?
As a noun, "supergrass" means: An informer providing substantial quantities of information on criminal or terrorist activities to the police.
How do you pronounce "supergrass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "supergrass" is /ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)ˌɡɹɑːs/. 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 "supergrass"?
From super- + grass, from grass (“an informer”). 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 "supergrass", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

superfluid#95,473synecdoche#95,481Spiegelman#95,440shibboleth#95,407

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list