waist

/weɪst/

//weɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“waist” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,635. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,635
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.

Corpus desk

Index EN-waist · waist · English

waist · rank #7,635 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,635
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH viable

Nearest frequency peer: viable (-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 “waist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “waist” 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).

waist vs was
60% similar
waist vs wit
60% similar
waist vs wat
60% similar

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

Key facts for waist
PropertyValue
Headwordwaist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/weɪst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,635
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “waist”

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).waistlands 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 “viable” (#7,634), “welcomed” (#7,636), “unto” (#7,633). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “waist” is #7,635. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around waist (IPA /weɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,635 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for waist, with forms such as "awist", "waisst", and "waistt". 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, "was", "wit", "wat", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English wast (“waist”), probably from Old English *wæst, *wǣst, *weaxt, *wæhst, from Proto-West Germanic *wahstu, from Proto-Germanic *wahstuz (“growth, development, stature, build”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg-s- (“to multiply, i… The correct English form is waist, spelled W-A-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.
  2. 2
    A part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist.
  3. 3
    The narrow connection between the thorax and abdomen in certain insects (e.g., bees, ants and wasps).
  4. 4
    The middle portion of the hull of a ship or the fuselage of an aircraft.
  5. 5
    That part of the upper deck of a ship between the quarterdeck and the forecastle.
  6. 6
    The middle part of anything.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There he stood, very quietly overlooking some sailmakers who were mending a top-sail in the waist.
  2. The waist of a bell widens into the lip.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wast (“waist”), probably from Old English *wæst, *wǣst, *weaxt, *wæhst, from Proto-West Germanic *wahstu, from Proto-Germanic *wahstuz (“growth, development, stature, build”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg-s- (“to multiply, increase”). Cognate with Middle English wacste (“growth, increase, might, power”), Middle High German wahst (“growth”), Danish vækst (“growth”), Swedish växt (“growth, development, size”), Icelandic vöxtur (“growth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (wahstus, “growth”). Related to Old English weaxan (“to grow, increase”). More at wax.

This word in other languages

cintura(Español)taille(Français)Taille(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awist
  • waisst
  • waistt
  • wasit
  • wiast
  • wwaist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of waist - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

awist2waisst1waistt1wasit2wiast2wwaist1
Edit distance from "waist"

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 "waist"?
"waist" is spelled W-A-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /weɪst/.
What does "waist" mean?
As a noun, "waist" means: The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach.
What words are commonly confused with "waist"?
"waist" is commonly confused with "was", "wit", "wat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "waist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "waist" is /weɪst/. 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 "waist"?
Inherited from Middle English wast (“waist”), probably from Old English *wæst, *wǣst, *weaxt, *wæhst, from Proto-West Germanic *wahstu, from Proto-Germanic *wahstuz (“growth, development, stature, build”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weg-s- (“to m... 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 "waist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

wreck#7,638toast#7,624blend#7,653brake#7,655

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

trek6 variantsstir6 variantsmelt6 variantsKatie6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list