ureter

/jʊəˈɹiːtə(ɹ)/

//jʊəˈɹiːtə(ɹ)// noun

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

"ureter" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ureter” is uncommon English (frequency #94,396 among 23,789 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,396
frequency rank, English
23,789
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Either of the two long, narrow ducts that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.

Key facts for ureter
PropertyValue
Headwordureter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/jʊəˈɹiːtə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#94,396
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ureter” 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). ureter 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

ureter is uncommon English at frequency #94,396 among 23,789 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /jʊəˈɹiːtə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Either of the two long, narrow ducts that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ureter, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek οὐρητήρ (ourētḗr). The correct English form is ureter, spelled U-R-E-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of the two long, narrow ducts that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek οὐρητήρ (ourētḗr).

This word in other languages

uréter(Español)uretère(Français)Harnleiter(Deutsch)uréter(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 "ureter"?
"ureter" is spelled U-R-E-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /jʊəˈɹiːtə(ɹ)/.
What does "ureter" mean?
As a noun, "ureter" means: Either of the two long, narrow ducts that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder.
How do you pronounce "ureter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ureter" is /jʊəˈɹiːtə(ɹ)/. 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 "ureter"?
From Ancient Greek οὐρητήρ (ourētḗr). 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 “ureter”

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

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