eyewash

noun

"eyewash" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eyewash” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eyewash · eyewash · English

eyewash · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for eyewash
PropertyValue
Headwordeyewash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “eyewash” in English

eyewashsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

eyewash is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

eyewash doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From eye + wash. Compare typologically Russian глаз замы́лился (glaz zamýlilsja) (akin to мы́ло (mýlo), мыть (mytʹ)). The correct English form is eyewash, spelled E-Y-E-W-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself.
  2. 2
    A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes.
  3. 3
    Camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an eyewash station on every floor of the building
  2. a bottle of eyewash

Etymology

From eye + wash. Compare typologically Russian глаз замы́лился (glaz zamýlilsja) (akin to мы́ло (mýlo), мыть (mytʹ)).

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

How do you spell "eyewash"?
"eyewash" is spelled E-Y-E-W-A-S-H.
What does "eyewash" mean?
As a noun, "eyewash" means: The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself.
What is the origin of the word "eyewash"?
From eye + wash. Compare typologically Russian глаз замы́лился (glaz zamýlilsja) (akin to мы́ло (mýlo), мыть (mytʹ)). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list