pasty

/ˈpeɪsti/

//ˈpeɪsti// adj

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

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

The verdict

“pasty” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,783. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,783
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Like paste, sticky.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pasty · pasty · English

pasty · rank #33,783 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,783
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH passageway

Nearest frequency peer: passageway (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pasty”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pasty” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pasty vs pay
60% similar
pasty vs pat
60% similar
pasty vs PST
0% similar

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

Key facts for pasty
PropertyValue
Headwordpasty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpeɪsti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,783
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pasty”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).pastylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “passageway” (#33,782), “pate” (#33,784), “parched” (#33,781). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pasty” is #33,783. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around pasty (IPA /ˈpeɪsti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #33,783 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for pasty, with forms such as "apsty", "passty", and "pastty". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pay", "pat", "PST", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From paste + -y (adjectival suffix). The correct English form is pasty, spelled P-A-S-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Like paste, sticky.
  2. 2
    Pale, lacking colour, having a pallor.
  3. 3
    Whiteskinned.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These mashed potatoes aren’t cooked well; they are very pasty.
  2. He is pasty-faced.

Etymology

From paste + -y (adjectival suffix).

This word in other languages

pastoso(Español)pegajoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apsty
  • passty
  • pastty
  • pastyy
  • pasyt
  • ppasty
  • psaty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pasty - 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.

apsty2passty1pastty1pastyy1pasyt2ppasty1psaty2
Edit distance from "pasty"

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 "pasty"?
"pasty" is spelled P-A-S-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpeɪsti/.
What does "pasty" mean?
As an adjective, "pasty" means: Like paste, sticky.
What words are commonly confused with "pasty"?
"pasty" is commonly confused with "pay", "pat", "PST". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pasty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pasty" is /ˈpeɪsti/. 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 "pasty"?
From paste + -y (adjectival suffix). 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 "pasty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pesto#33,789nears#33,757nappy#33,754Myron#33,752

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

oppress7 variantsMSRP7 variantsMossad7 variantsriser7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list