hasty

/ˈheɪsti/

//ˈheɪsti// adj

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

"hasty" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hasty” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,854 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#19,854
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hasty vs hat
60% similar
hasty vs hay
60% similar
hasty vs hate
60% similar

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

Key facts for hasty
PropertyValue
Headwordhasty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈheɪsti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,854
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hasty” 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). hasty 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 hasty is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈheɪsti/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,854 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hasty, with forms such as "ahsty", "hassty", and "hastty". 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, "hat", "hay", "hate", 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 hasty, of obscure origin. Likely a new formation in Middle English equivalent to haste + -y, found as in other Germanic languages (Old Frisian hâstich, Middle Dutch haestich (> Dutch haastig (“hasty”)), Middle Low German hastich (“hasty”… The correct English form is hasty, spelled H-A-S-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.
  2. 2
    Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.
  3. 3
    Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.
  4. 4
    Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.
  5. 5
    Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.
  6. 6
    Speedy, quick, rapid (without necessarily lacking time).
  7. 7
    Irritable, irascible; quickly or easily excited to anger.
  8. 8
    Heavy, violent.

Etymology

From Middle English hasty, of obscure origin. Likely a new formation in Middle English equivalent to haste + -y, found as in other Germanic languages (Old Frisian hâstich, Middle Dutch haestich (> Dutch haastig (“hasty”)), Middle Low German hastich (“hasty”), German hastig, Danish hastig, Swedish hastig (“hasty”)); otherwise possibly representing an assimilation to the foregoing of Middle English hastive, hastif (> English hastive), from Old French hastif (Modern French hâtif), from Frankish *haifst (“violence”), ultimately of the same Germanic origin.

This word in other languages

apresurado(Español)hâtif(Français)hastig(Deutsch)apressado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahsty,hassty,hastty,hastyy,hasyt,hatsy,hhasty,hsaty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahsty2hassty1hastty1hastyy1hasyt2hatsy2hhasty1hsaty2
Edit distance from "hasty"

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 "hasty"?
"hasty" is spelled H-A-S-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈheɪsti/.
What does "hasty" mean?
As an adjective, "hasty" means: Acting or done in haste; hurried or too quick; speedy due to having little time.
What words are commonly confused with "hasty"?
"hasty" is commonly confused with "hat", "hay", "hate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hasty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hasty" is /ˈheɪsti/. 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 "hasty"?
From Middle English hasty, of obscure origin. Likely a new formation in Middle English equivalent to haste + -y, found as in other Germanic languages (Old Frisian hâstich, Middle Dutch haestich (> Dutch haastig (“hasty”)), Middle Low German hastic... 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 “hasty”

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

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