udder

/ˈʌdə/

//ˈʌdə// noun

"udder" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“udder” is uncommon English (frequency #67,917 among 23,789 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,917
frequency rank, English
23,789
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, particularly ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer.

Key facts for udder
PropertyValue
Headwordudder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌdə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#67,917
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “udder” 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). udder 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

udder is uncommon English at frequency #67,917 among 23,789 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʌdə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for udder, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English udder, uddyr (also as uther, iddyr), from Old English ūder (“udder; breast”), from Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jadder (“udder”), Dutch uier (“udder”), German Euter … The correct English form is udder, spelled U-D-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, particularly ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer.
  2. 2
    A woman's breast.

Etymology

From Middle English udder, uddyr (also as uther, iddyr), from Old English ūder (“udder; breast”), from Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jadder (“udder”), Dutch uier (“udder”), German Euter (“udder”), Swedish juver (“udder”), Icelandic júgur (“udder”), Vedic Sanskrit ऊधर् (ū́dhar), Ancient Greek οὖθαρ (oûthar), Latin ūber.

This word in other languages

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 "udder"?
"udder" is spelled U-D-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌdə/.
What does "udder" mean?
As a noun, "udder" means: An organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, particularly ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer.
How do you pronounce "udder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "udder" is /ˈʌdə/. 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 "udder"?
From Middle English udder, uddyr (also as uther, iddyr), from Old English ūder (“udder; breast”), from Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jadder (“udder”), Dutch uier (“udder”), Ger... 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 “udder”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is U-D-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʌdə/ (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