toast

/təʊst/

//təʊst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“toast” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,624. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,624
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning).

Corpus desk

Index EN-toast · toast · English

toast · rank #7,624 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,624
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH theirs

Nearest frequency peer: theirs (-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 “toast”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “toast” 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).

toast vs TOS
0% similar
toast vs tot
60% similar
toast vs tons
60% similar

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

Key facts for toast
PropertyValue
Headwordtoast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/təʊst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,624
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “toast”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “theirs” (#7,623), “toes” (#7,625), “that'll” (#7,622). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “toast” is #7,624. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around toast (IPA /təʊst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,624 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for toast, with forms such as "otast", "taost", and "toasst". 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, "TOS", "tot", "tons", 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 Middle English tost, from the verb tosten (see below). Sense 3 is according to the Oxford English Dictionary a figurative application of sense 1 dating to 1674. It began as an epithet for a lady being supposed to flavour a bumper like a spiced toast pl… The correct English form is toast, spelled T-O-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning).
  2. 2
    A proposed salutation (e.g. saying "cheers") while drinking alcohol.
  3. 3
    A person, group, or notable object to which a salutation with alcohol is made; a person or group held in similar esteem.
  4. 4
    Something that is irreparably damaged or used up, especially when destroyed by heat or fire; something which has been burnt to a crisp or incinerated.
  5. 5
    Something that will be no more; something subject to impending destruction, harm or injury.
  6. 6
    A type of extemporaneous narrative poem or rap.
  7. 7
    An old toast ("a lively fellow who drinks excessively").
  8. 8
    A transient, informational unclickable pop-up overlay, less interactive than a snackbar.
  9. 9
    A piece of toast.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I ate a piece of toast for breakfast.
  2. This toast and marmalade tastes heavenly.

Etymology

From Middle English tost, from the verb tosten (see below). Sense 3 is according to the Oxford English Dictionary a figurative application of sense 1 dating to 1674. It began as an epithet for a lady being supposed to flavour a bumper like a spiced toast placed in that drink. (In this context, a bumper is a drinking vessel filled to the brim.)

This word in other languages

tostada(Español)pain grillé(Français)Toast(Deutsch)torrada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otast
  • taost
  • toasst
  • toastt
  • toats
  • tosat
  • ttoast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

otast2taost2toasst1toastt1toats2tosat2ttoast1
Edit distance from "toast"

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 "toast"?
"toast" is spelled T-O-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /təʊst/.
What does "toast" mean?
As a noun, "toast" means: Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning).
What words are commonly confused with "toast"?
"toast" is commonly confused with "TOS", "tot", "tons". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "toast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "toast" is /təʊst/. 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 "toast"?
From Middle English tost, from the verb tosten (see below). Sense 3 is according to the Oxford English Dictionary a figurative application of sense 1 dating to 1674. It began as an epithet for a lady being supposed to flavour a bumper like a spice... 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 "toast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

waist#7,635spike#7,612wreck#7,638skirt#7,609

Similar misspelling depth

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

rapper7 variantspuzzle7 variantsballet7 variantspolar7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list