# haystack

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈheɪˌstæk/ · frequency rank #36,595

## Definitions
1. A mound, pile, or stack of stored hay.
2. A standing wave in a rapid.
3. The text string within which another string is searched for. (see: needle in a haystack)
4. Any place or collection of items through which one searches for something that is rare and hard to find.
5. A dish composed of a starchy food (rice, tortillas, crackers, etc.) topped by a protein (beans, cheese, meat, etc.) in combination with fresh vegetables, assembled on the plate by the diner.

## Etymology
From Middle English haystak, haystake, hey stak, equivalent to hay + stack.

## Common misspellings (13)
`ahystack`, `hasytack`, `haysatck`, `haysstack`, `haystacck`, `haystackk`, `haystakc`, `haystcak`, `haysttack`, `haytsack`, `hayystack`, `hhaystack`, `hyastack`

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