soak

/səʊk/

//səʊk// verb

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

"soak" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“soak” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,863. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,863
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-soak · soak · English

soak · rank #12,863 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,863
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Snyder

Nearest frequency peer: Snyder (-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 “soak”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “soak” 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).

soak vs son
50% similar
soak vs spa
50% similar
soak vs sox
50% similar

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

Key facts for soak
PropertyValue
Headwordsoak
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/səʊk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,863
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “soak”

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).soaklands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Snyder” (#12,862), “sock” (#12,864), “slips” (#12,861). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “soak” is #12,863. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around soak (IPA /səʊk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,863 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for soak, with forms such as "osak", "saok", and "soakk". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "son", "spa", "sox", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”). Cognate with Middle Dutch soken (“to cause to suck”). More at… The correct English form is soak, spelled S-O-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it.
  2. 2
    To immerse in liquid to the point of saturation or thorough permeation.
  3. 3
    To penetrate or permeate by saturation.
  4. 4
    To allow (especially a liquid) to be absorbed; to take in, receive. (usually + up)
  5. 5
    To overcharge or swindle out of a large amount of money.
  6. 6
    To drink intemperately or gluttonously.
  7. 7
    To heat (a metal) before shaping it.
  8. 8
    To hold a kiln at a particular temperature for a given period of time.
  9. 9
    To absorb; to drain.
  10. 10
    To engage in penetrative sex without hip thrusting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'm going to soak in the bath for a couple of hours.
  2. Their land shall be soaked with blood.

Etymology

From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”). Cognate with Middle Dutch soken (“to cause to suck”). More at suck.

This word in other languages

empaparse(Español)tremper(Français)durchnässen(Deutsch)encharcar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osak
  • saok
  • soakk
  • soka
  • ssoak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osak2saok2soakk1soka2ssoak1
Edit distance from "soak"

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 "soak"?
"soak" is spelled S-O-A-K. The IPA pronunciation is /səʊk/.
What does "soak" mean?
As a verb, "soak" means: To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it.
What words are commonly confused with "soak"?
"soak" is commonly confused with "son", "spa", "sox". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "soak"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "soak" is /səʊk/. 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 "soak"?
From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”). Cognate with Middle Dutch soken (“to cause to suck”... 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 "soak", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sock#12,864reps#12,848wiki#12,888oaks#12,819

Similar misspelling depth

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

willy5 variantsnoun5 variantshomo5 variantsgeek5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list