hast

/hæst/

//hæst// verb

"hast" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hast” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,858 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#23,858
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - second-person singular simple present indicative of have

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hast vs his
50% similar
hast vs hit
50% similar
hast vs hot
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hast
PropertyValue
Headwordhast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/hæst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#23,858
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hast” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hast lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hast is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hæst/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,858 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "second-person singular simple present indicative of have".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for hast, with forms such as "ahst", "hasst", and "hastt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "his", "hit", "hot", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hast, havest, second-person present singular form of haven, from Old English hæfst, hafast, second-person present singular form of habban, from Proto-Germanic *habaisi, second-person present singular form of *habjaną; equivalent to have … The correct English form is hast, spelled H-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    second-person singular simple present indicative of have

Etymology

From Middle English hast, havest, second-person present singular form of haven, from Old English hæfst, hafast, second-person present singular form of habban, from Proto-Germanic *habaisi, second-person present singular form of *habjaną; equivalent to have + -est. Compare German and West Frisian hast.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahst,hasst,hastt,hhast,hsat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hast - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ahst2hasst1hastt1hhast1hsat2
Edit distance from "hast"

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 "hast"?
"hast" is spelled H-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hæst/.
What does "hast" mean?
As a verb, "hast" means: second-person singular simple present indicative of have
What words are commonly confused with "hast"?
"hast" is commonly confused with "his", "hit", "hot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hast" is /hæst/. 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 "hast"?
From Middle English hast, havest, second-person present singular form of haven, from Old English hæfst, hafast, second-person present singular form of habban, from Proto-Germanic *habaisi, second-person present singular form of *habjaną; equivalen... 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.

Using “hast”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hæst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “his” - see the side-by-side comparison. hast vs his
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list