utter

/ˈʌtə/

//ˈʌtə// adj

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

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

The verdict

“utter” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,003. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,003
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.

Corpus desk

Index EN-utter · utter · English

utter · rank #9,003 · 5 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,003
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH uranium

Nearest frequency peer: uranium (-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 “utter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “utter” 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).

utter vs utterly
71% similar
utter vs uttered
71% similar
utter vs ute
60% similar

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

Key facts for utter
PropertyValue
Headwordutter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈʌtə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,003
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “utter”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).utterlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “uranium” (#9,002), “Vietnamese” (#9,004), “undertaken” (#9,001). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “utter” is #9,003. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around utter (IPA /ˈʌtə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,003 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for utter, with forms such as "tuter", "uter", and "utetr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "utterly", "uttered", "ute", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *úd The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (“situated on the outside of, exterior”), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (“out”). Piecewise doublet of outer. The no… The correct English form is utter, spelled U-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.
  2. 2
    Of a substance: pure, unmixed.
  3. 3
    Of decisions, replies, etc.: made in an unconditional or unqualified manner; decisive, definite.
  4. 4
    Further out than another thing; being the exterior or outer part of something; outer, outward; also, extremely remote.
  5. 5
    Preceding all others; original.
  6. 6
    Succeeding all others; final, last, ultimate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. utter bliss utter darkness utter ruin
  2. Oh VVarvvicke, VVarvvicke, I foreſee vvith greefe / The vtter loſſe of all the Realme of France.

Etymology

PIE word *úd The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (“situated on the outside of, exterior”), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (“out”). Piecewise doublet of outer. The noun is derived from the adjective.

This word in other languages

absoluto(Español)absolu(Français)total(Deutsch)completo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tuter
  • uter
  • utetr
  • utterr
  • uttre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of utter - 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.

tuter2uter1utetr2utterr1uttre2
Edit distance from "utter"

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 "utter"?
"utter" is spelled U-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌtə/.
What does "utter" mean?
As an adjective, "utter" means: To the furthest or most extreme extent; absolute, complete, total, unconditional.
What words are commonly confused with "utter"?
"utter" is commonly confused with "utterly", "uttered", "ute". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "utter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "utter" is /ˈʌtə/. 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 "utter"?
PIE word *úd The adjective is derived from Middle English outre, utter, uttre (“situated on the outside of, exterior”), from Old English ūtera (“exterior, outer”, literally “more out”), the comparative form of ūt (“out”). Piecewise doublet of out... 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 "utter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Walsh#9,006wires#9,007Cairo#9,021seals#8,980

Similar misspelling depth

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

goose5 variantsbets5 variantsbait5 variantsboil5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list