adze
/ædz/
"adze" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“adze” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cutting tool that has a curved blade set at a right angle to the handle and is used in shaping wood.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | adze |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ædz/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “adze” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
adze is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ædz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A cutting tool that has a curved blade set at a right angle to the handle and is used in shaping wood.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for adze, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English adse, adese, from Old English adesa, eadesa (compare the oldest forms: adosa, adosan), assumed from Proto-Germanic *adisô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃edʰḗs (compare Hittite [script needed] (atešša, “axe, hatchet”)). The correct English form is adze, spelled A-D-Z-E.
Definition
- 1A cutting tool that has a curved blade set at a right angle to the handle and is used in shaping wood.
Etymology
From Middle English adse, adese, from Old English adesa, eadesa (compare the oldest forms: adosa, adosan), assumed from Proto-Germanic *adisô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃edʰḗs (compare Hittite [script needed] (atešša, “axe, hatchet”)).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “adze”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-D-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ædz/ (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
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.