waft

/wɑft/

//wɑft// verb

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

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

The verdict

“waft” is uncommon English (frequency #61,208 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,208
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air.

Corpus desk

Index EN-waft · waft · English

waft · rank #61,208 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,208
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH WAFL

Nearest frequency peer: WAFL (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “waft”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “waft” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for waft
PropertyValue
Headwordwaft
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɑft/
Letters4
Frequency rank#61,208
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “waft” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).waftfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “WAFL” (#61,207), “wacko” (#61,206), “washcloth” (#61,210). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “waft” is #61,208. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

waft is uncommon English at frequency #61,208 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /wɑft/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for waft in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”). See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese veiftra (… The correct English form is waft, spelled W-A-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air.
  2. 2
    To be moved, or to pass, on a buoyant medium; to float.
  3. 3
    To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A breeze came in through the open window and wafted her sensuous perfume into my eager nostrils.
  2. I will sing of stately Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful, whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus. There the moist breath of the western wind wafted her over the waves of the loud-moaning sea in soft foam, and there the gold-filleted Hours welcomed her joyously.

Etymology

From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”). See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese veiftra (“to wave”) and Icelandic váfa (“to fluctuate, waver, doubt”).

This word in other languages

levitar(Español)treiben(Deutsch)flutuar(Português)

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 "waft"?
"waft" is spelled W-A-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /wɑft/.
What does "waft" mean?
As a verb, "waft" means: To (cause to) float easily or gently through the air.
How do you pronounce "waft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "waft" is /wɑft/. 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 "waft"?
From Middle English waften, of uncertain origin. Possibly from unattested Old English *wafettan, from wafian (“to wave”) + -ettan, or perhaps borrowed from Middle Dutch wachten (“to guard, provide for”). See also German wabern (“to waft”), Faroese... 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 "waft", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

WAFL#61,207vell#61,201titi#61,162tita#61,161

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list