# haste

> English word · Noun · IPA /heɪst/ · frequency rank #17,853

## Definitions
1. Speed; swiftness; dispatch.
2. Urgency; sudden excitement of feeling or passion; precipitance; vehemence.

## Etymology
Blend of Middle English hasten (verb), (compare Dutch haasten, German hasten, Danish haste, Swedish hasta (“to hasten, rush”)) and Middle English hast (“haste”, noun), from Old French haste (whence French hâte), from Old Frankish *hai(f)st (“violence”), from Proto-Germanic *haifstiz (“struggle, conflict”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeyp- (“to ridicule, mock, anger”). Akin to Old Frisian hāst, hāste (“haste”), Old English hǣst (“violence”), Old English hǣste (“violent, impetuous, vehement”, adjective), Old Norse heift /heipt (“feud”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts, “rivalry”). Cognate with German heftig (“vehement”) and Danish heftig (“vehement”).

## Easily confused with
- **hat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hat)
- **hse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hse)
- **have** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-have)
- **hate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hate)
- **host** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-host)
- **hats** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hats)
- **hose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hose)
- **hath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hath)
- **haze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-haze)
- **hist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hist)
- **haye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-haye)
- **hosts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hosts)
- **hated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hated)
- **hates** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hates)
- **hasty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hasty)
- **haute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-haute)
- **hater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hater)
- **Hesse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hesse)
- **Havre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-havre)
- **hosted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haste-vs-hosted)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ahste`, `haset`, `hasste`, `hastte`, `hhaste`, `hsate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/haste