wintergreen

/ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn/

//ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn// noun

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

"wintergreen" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wintergreen” is uncommon English (frequency #62,628 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,628
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any evergreen plant.

Key facts for wintergreen
PropertyValue
Headwordwintergreen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn/
Letters11
Frequency rank#62,628
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wintergreen” 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). wintergreen 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

wintergreen is uncommon English at frequency #62,628 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 13 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for wintergreen, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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 winter + green. The correct English form is wintergreen, spelled W-I-N-T-E-R-G-R-E-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any evergreen plant.
  2. 2
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  3. 3
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  4. 4
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  5. 5
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  6. 6
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  7. 7
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  8. 8
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  9. 9
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  10. 10
    One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
  11. 11
    The spicy red berries of Gaultheria procumbens.
  12. 12
    The oil, methyl salicylate, obtained from these berries.
  13. 13
    The aroma of the oil, methyl salicylate, however derived.

Etymology

From winter + green.

Synonyms

shinleafboxberrycheckerberrypartridgeberryspiceberryteaberry

This word in other languages

siempreverde(Español)pirole(Français)Wintergrün(Deutsch)

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 "wintergreen"?
"wintergreen" is spelled W-I-N-T-E-R-G-R-E-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn/.
What does "wintergreen" mean?
As a noun, "wintergreen" means: Any evergreen plant.
How do you pronounce "wintergreen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wintergreen" is /ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn/. 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 "wintergreen"?
From winter + green. 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 “wintergreen”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-I-N-T-E-R-G-R-E-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈwɪntə(ɹ)ˌɡɹiːn/ (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