Sprött

Sprött is a Swedish adjective used to describe something that is brittle, fragile, or prone to cracking. In standard modern Swedish, the more common form is spröd, while sprött appears mainly as an archaic, regional, or literary variant. The word can describe physical materials such as glass, porcelain, dry bread with a fragile crust, or ice that can crack easily. It can also be used metaphorically to refer to fragile situations, health, or nerves.

Etymology and form: Sprött is believed to be a historic or dialectal inflection related to the core adjective spröd. It appears in older texts and some regional varieties, where it functions similarly to spröd but with a distinct, more formal or poetic tone in certain contexts. In contemporary usage, spröd is far more common, and sprött is often noted as an older or less common variant rather than a standard form.

Usage notes: Because sprött is less common today, its appearance may signal a literary or regional flavor. Writers may choose sprött for rhythmic or stylistic reasons, especially in poetry or historical narratives, whereas spröd remains the expected everyday descriptor. When describing everyday objects, most speakers would use spröd.

See also: spröd, brittleness, fragility.

References: Dictionaries of Swedish language and regional usage variations discuss sprött as a historical or dialectal form alongside the standard spröd.