sweepstake

/ˈswiːpsteɪk/

//ˈswiːpsteɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sweepstake” is uncommon English (frequency #97,608 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,608
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A lottery in which the prize or prizes constitute all the money paid by the participants.

Key facts for sweepstake
PropertyValue
Headwordsweepstake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈswiːpsteɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#97,608
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sweepstake” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sweepstake is uncommon English at frequency #97,608 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈswiːpsteɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for sweepstake, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sweep + stake. The correct English form is sweepstake, spelled S-W-E-E-P-S-T-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lottery in which the prize or prizes constitute all the money paid by the participants.
  2. 2
    A prize draw.

Etymology

From sweep + stake.

This word in other languages

rifa(Español)rifa(Português)

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 "sweepstake"?
"sweepstake" is spelled S-W-E-E-P-S-T-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈswiːpsteɪk/.
What does "sweepstake" mean?
As a noun, "sweepstake" means: A lottery in which the prize or prizes constitute all the money paid by the participants.
How do you pronounce "sweepstake"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sweepstake" is /ˈswiːpsteɪk/. 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 "sweepstake"?
From sweep + stake. 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.

Using “sweepstake”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-W-E-E-P-S-T-A-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈswiːpsteɪk/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list