Spicket or Spigot: Which Spelling Is Correct?
The standard spelling is spigot.
Spicket is sometimes heard in speech and may appear as a regional or informal variant, but in most writing, spigot is the better choice.
A spigot is a small faucet, tap, or valve that controls the flow of water or another liquid.
Examples:
- Turn off the spigot after watering the garden.
- The hose is connected to the outdoor spigot.
- The rain barrel has a small spigot near the bottom.
- Water was dripping from the spigot.
If you are writing for school, work, a product description, a home-repair guide, or a polished article, use spigot.
Quick Answer
Use spigot.
Avoid spicket in standard writing.
Correct:
- Attach the hose to the spigot.
Less standard:
- Attach the hose to the spicket.
The word spicket is common in some people’s speech because it sounds natural to them, but spigot is the spelling most readers expect.
What Does Spigot Mean?
A spigot is a device that controls the flow of liquid.
Most often, people use the word for an outdoor water tap.
Examples:
- The garden hose was attached to the spigot.
- He filled the bucket from the backyard spigot.
- The plumber replaced the broken spigot.
- Make sure the spigot is closed tightly.
A spigot can also be attached to a barrel, cooler, water container, or drink dispenser.
Examples:
- The lemonade dispenser had a plastic spigot.
- The wooden barrel had a metal spigot.
- Open the spigot slowly so the water does not splash.
In simple terms, a spigot lets liquid out and helps control the flow.
What Does Spicket Mean?
Spicket is usually used as a nonstandard or regional version of spigot.
Some people say spicket when they mean the outdoor faucet or tap on the side of a house.
Examples of casual speech:
- Turn off the spicket.
- The hose is on the spicket.
- Water is leaking from the spicket.
People will usually understand what spicket means, especially in regions where the pronunciation is common. But in edited writing, spigot is the safer spelling.
So if you are wondering which one to use in an article, choose spigot.
Spicket vs Spigot: The Main Difference
The main difference is standardness.
Spigot is the standard spelling.
Spicket is a less standard, regional, or informal form.
They usually refer to the same thing: a faucet, tap, or valve that controls water or another liquid.
Compare:
- Standard: The hose is attached to the spigot.
- Informal/regional: The hose is attached to the spicket.
The meaning is usually the same, but the spelling looks different to readers.
If your goal is clear, professional writing, use spigot.
Why Do People Say Spicket?
People often learn words by hearing them before they see them written.
When spigot is spoken quickly, it may sound a little like spicket. The final part of the word can be heard as -ket instead of -got, depending on accent, region, and pronunciation.
That is why someone may grow up saying:
- water spicket
- outside spicket
- hose spicket
This does not mean the person is trying to use the wrong word. It usually means they learned the word through speech.
However, when writing, the standard spelling is still spigot.
Spigot vs Faucet
Spigot and faucet are related words, but they are not always used in exactly the same way.
A faucet is a general word for a device that controls water flow, especially indoors.
Examples:
- kitchen faucet
- bathroom faucet
- sink faucet
A spigot often refers to an outdoor faucet or a valve on a container.
Examples:
- garden spigot
- hose spigot
- barrel spigot
- outdoor water spigot
In everyday speech, many people use faucet, tap, and spigot in overlapping ways. But spigot often feels more connected to outdoor water or a simple valve.
Spigot vs Spout
A spout is the part where liquid comes out.
A spigot is the valve or tap that controls the flow.
Examples:
- Water poured from the spout.
- Turn the spigot to start the water.
A watering can has a spout, but not usually a spigot.
A garden hose may be connected to a spigot, and the water may flow out through the hose end.
The words are related, but not identical.
How to Remember the Correct Spelling
A simple way to remember the spelling:
Spigot has “got” at the end.
Think:
The spigot has got water.
That can help you remember:
spi-got
Not:
spi-cket
Another memory trick:
Spigot controls what you’ve got in the pipe.
The word ends with got, so picture a pipe that has got water inside it.
Spelling Structure
The correct standard spelling is:
s-p-i-g-o-t
The common nonstandard form is:
s-p-i-c-k-e-t
The important difference is the ending.
Spigot ends in -got.
Spicket ends in -cket.
If you are writing about a faucet, tap, valve, hose connection, or water outlet, the spelling you usually want is:
spigot
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Writing spicket in formal writing
Less standard:
- The outdoor spicket is leaking.
Better:
- The outdoor spigot is leaking.
Mistake 2: Thinking spicket and spigot are different objects
Usually, they refer to the same thing.
A person who says spicket is often talking about what another person calls a spigot.
Mistake 3: Confusing spigot with faucet
This is usually not a serious mistake, but the words have slightly different common uses.
- Use faucet for a sink or indoor water fixture.
- Use spigot for an outdoor tap, hose connection, or container valve.
Example Sentences With Spigot
- The backyard spigot froze during the winter.
- She turned the spigot and filled the watering can.
- The hose was screwed tightly onto the spigot.
- A slow drip came from the old metal spigot.
- The rain barrel’s spigot made it easy to fill a bucket.
- He replaced the broken outdoor spigot before spring.
Final Answer: Spicket or Spigot?
The standard spelling is spigot.
Spicket is a regional or informal variant that some people say or write, but it is not the best choice for polished writing.
Use spigot when you mean a faucet, tap, or valve that controls water or another liquid.
The easiest way to remember it is:
The spigot has got water.
So the spelling to use is:
spigot
Not:
spicket
