# slash

> English word · Noun · IPA /slaʃ/ · frequency rank #12,142

## Definitions
1. A slashing action or motion:
2. A slashing action or motion:
3. A slashing action or motion:
4. A mark made by slashing:
5. A mark made by slashing:
6. Something resembling such a mark:
7. Something resembling such a mark:
8. Something resembling such a mark:
9. Something resembling such a mark:
10. Something resembling such a mark:
11. Something resembling such a mark:
12. The loose woody debris remaining from a slash; the trimmings left while preparing felled trees for removal.
13. A wet or swampy place overgrown with bushes
14. Slash fiction; fan fiction focused on homoerotic pairing of fictional characters.

## Etymology
Late Middle English, originally a verb of uncertain etymology. Perhaps of imitative origin, or possibly from Old French esclachier (“to break in pieces”), a variant of esclater, which is likely a Germanic borrowing, from Frankish *slaitan (“to slit, tear”).
Used in the Wycliffe Bible as slascht (see 1 Kings 5:18) but otherwise unattested until 16th century. Conjunctive use from various applications of the punctuation mark ⟨/⟩. See also slash fiction.

## Easily confused with
- **ssh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-ssh)
- **slay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slay)
- **spas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-spas)
- **Slav** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slav)
- **slaw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slaw)
- **slave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slave)
- **smash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-smash)
- **slate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slate)
- **stash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-stash)
- **sloth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-sloth)
- **slush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slush)
- **swish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-swish)
- **spasm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-spasm)
- **swath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-swath)
- **Stasi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-stasi)
- **staph** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-staph)
- **splash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-splash)
- **squash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-squash)
- **slashed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slashed)
- **slasher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slash-vs-slasher)

## Common misspellings (8)
`lsash`, `salsh`, `slahs`, `slashh`, `slassh`, `sllash`, `slsah`, `sslash`

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