aghast

/əˈɡæst/

//əˈɡæst// adj

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

"aghast" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aghast” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,601. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,601
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aghast · aghast · English

aghast · rank #44,601 · 9 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,601
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH afterglow

Nearest frequency peer: afterglow (-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 “aghast”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “aghast” 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
Key facts for aghast
PropertyValue
Headwordaghast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈɡæst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#44,601
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “aghast”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).aghastlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “afterglow” (#44,600), “agitate” (#44,602), “AGS” (#44,603). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “aghast” is #44,601. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around aghast (IPA /əˈɡæst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #44,601 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for aghast, with forms such as "agahst", "agghast", and "aghasst". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (“to terrify”), from Old English a- (compare with Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (“to terrify, torment”): compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usgaisjan, “to te… The correct English form is aghast, spelled A-G-H-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I was aghast when the incident unfolded in front of me.
  2. Betraide by fortune and ſuſpitious loue, Threatned with frowning wrath and iealouſie, Surpriz’d with feare and hideous reuenge, I ſtand agaſt: […]

Etymology

From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (“to terrify”), from Old English a- (compare with Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (“to terrify, torment”): compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usgaisjan, “to terrify”, literally “to fix, to root to the spot with terror”); akin to Latin haerere (“to stick fast, cling”). By surface analysis, a- + ghast/gast. See gaze.

This word in other languages

espantado(Español)effaré(Français)bestürzt(Deutsch)pasmo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agahst
  • agghast
  • aghasst
  • aghastt
  • aghats
  • aghhast
  • aghsat
  • ahgast
  • gahast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of aghast - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

agahst2agghast1aghasst1aghastt1aghats2aghhast1aghsat2ahgast2
Edit distance from "aghast"

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 "aghast"?
"aghast" is spelled A-G-H-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈɡæst/.
What does "aghast" mean?
As an adjective, "aghast" means: Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.
What are common misspellings of "aghast"?
Common misspellings include "agahst", "agghast", "aghasst", "aghastt", "aghats". The correct spelling is "aghast".
How do you pronounce "aghast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aghast" is /əˈɡæst/. 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 "aghast"?
From Middle English agast, agasted, past participle of agasten (“to terrify”), from Old English a- (compare with Gothic 𐌿𐍃- (us-), German er-, originally meaning "out") + gæstan (“to terrify, torment”): compare Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usgaisj... 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 "aghast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

amoeba#44,610Anselm#44,613append#44,616Ayrton#44,629

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

agitate9 variantsBrecon9 variantscapitan9 variantstinsel9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list