swash

/swɒʃ/

//swɒʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“swash” is uncommon English (frequency #74,554 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,554
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The water that washes up on shore after an incoming wave has broken.

Key facts for swash
PropertyValue
Headwordswash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/swɒʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#74,554
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “swash” 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). swash lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

swash is uncommon English at frequency #74,554 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /swɒʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 12 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for swash, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Scandinavian. Compare Swedish dialect svasska, Norwegian svakka, English dialect swack (“a blow”). The correct English form is swash, spelled S-W-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The water that washes up on shore after an incoming wave has broken.
  2. 2
    A narrow sound or channel of water lying within a sand bank, or between a sand bank and the shore, or a bar over which the sea washes.
  3. 3
    A wet splashing sound.
  4. 4
    A smooth stroke; a swish.
  5. 5
    A swishing noise.
  6. 6
    A long, protruding ornamental line or pen stroke found in some typefaces and styles of calligraphy.
  7. 7
    A streak or patch.
  8. 8
    Liquid filth; wash; hog mash.
  9. 9
    A blustering noise.
  10. 10
    swaggering behaviour.
  11. 11
    A swaggering fellow; a swasher.
  12. 12
    An oval figure, whose mouldings are oblique to the axis of the work.

Etymology

Scandinavian. Compare Swedish dialect svasska, Norwegian svakka, English dialect swack (“a blow”).

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 "swash"?
"swash" is spelled S-W-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /swɒʃ/.
What does "swash" mean?
As a noun, "swash" means: The water that washes up on shore after an incoming wave has broken.
How do you pronounce "swash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "swash" is /swɒʃ/. 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 "swash"?
Scandinavian. Compare Swedish dialect svasska, Norwegian svakka, English dialect swack (“a blow”). 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 “swash”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-W-A-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /swɒʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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