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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,863 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#12,863
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be saturated with liquid by being immersed in it.

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)

Where “soak” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). soak lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for soak is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,863 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “soak”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-A-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “son” - see the side-by-side comparison. soak vs son
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list