hogwash

/ˈhɒɡ.wɒʃ/

//ˈhɒɡ.wɒʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hogwash” is uncommon English (frequency #60,861 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,861
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Foolish talk or writing; nonsense.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hogwash · hogwash · English

hogwash · rank #60,861 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,861
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hoists

Nearest frequency peer: hoists (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “hogwash”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hogwash” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hogwash
PropertyValue
Headwordhogwash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɒɡ.wɒʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#60,861
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hogwash” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hogwashfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “hoists” (#60,862), “hodgepodge” (#60,859), “Holyfield” (#60,863). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hogwash” is #60,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hogwash is uncommon English at frequency #60,861 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɒɡ.wɒʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for hogwash, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *hoggewasch (found only as Middle English hoggyswasch (“refuse of the kitchen for feeding pigs”, literally “hog's wash”)), equivalent to hog + wash. The correct English form is hogwash, spelled H-O-G-W-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Foolish talk or writing; nonsense.
  2. 2
    A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs; swill.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We have more faith in the average American than that. It’s not true that Americans love hogwash— it’s that hogwash inundates Americans, whether they want it or not! Some Americans want the truth— they just haven’t been able to find it because it is drowned out by hogwash.
  2. Diplomatic hogwash aside, ‘efficiency and effectiveness’ have nothing to do with the shutting of the Consulate. The decision is but a continuation of successive US measures aimed at “taking Jerusalem off the table” – as per Trump’s own words - of any future negotiations.

Etymology

From Middle English *hoggewasch (found only as Middle English hoggyswasch (“refuse of the kitchen for feeding pigs”, literally “hog's wash”)), equivalent to hog + wash.

This word in other languages

tonterías(Español)baratin(Français)Quatsch(Deutsch)disparate(Português)

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 "hogwash"?
"hogwash" is spelled H-O-G-W-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɒɡ.wɒʃ/.
What does "hogwash" mean?
As a noun, "hogwash" means: Foolish talk or writing; nonsense.
How do you pronounce "hogwash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hogwash" is /ˈhɒɡ.wɒʃ/. 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 "hogwash"?
From Middle English *hoggewasch (found only as Middle English hoggyswasch (“refuse of the kitchen for feeding pigs”, literally “hog's wash”)), equivalent to hog + wash. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hogwash", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hibbard#60,854Hialeah#60,853Hurwitz#60,870heeding#60,850

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list