wart

/wɔːt/

//wɔːt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wart” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,680. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,680
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Corpus desk

Index EN-wart · wart · English

wart · rank #38,680 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,680
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH warbler

Nearest frequency peer: warbler (-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 “wart”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wart” 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).

wart vs wt
50% similar
wart vs was
50% similar
wart vs way
50% similar

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

Key facts for wart
PropertyValue
Headwordwart
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wɔːt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#38,680
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wart”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).wartlands 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 “warbler” (#38,679), “wasabi” (#38,681), “voracious” (#38,678). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wart” is #38,680. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around wart (IPA /wɔːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,680 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for wart, with forms such as "awrt", "warrt", and "wartt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wt", "was", "way", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English warte, werte, from Old English wearte, from Proto-West Germanic *wartā, from Proto-Germanic *wartǭ. Cognate with Dutch wrat, German Warze, Hunsrik Waarz, Swedish vårta and Danish vorte. The correct English form is wart, spelled W-A-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
  2. 2
    Any similar growth occurring in plants or animals, such as the parotoid glands in the back of toads.
  3. 3
    Anything unsightly or undesirable; a blemish.
  4. 4
    Any of the prefixes used in Hungarian notation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A wart has appeared on my toe.
  2. Things that look too good to be true usually are, and every company has some warts that need to be taken into account.

Etymology

From Middle English warte, werte, from Old English wearte, from Proto-West Germanic *wartā, from Proto-Germanic *wartǭ. Cognate with Dutch wrat, German Warze, Hunsrik Waarz, Swedish vårta and Danish vorte.

This word in other languages

verruga(Español)verrue(Français)Warze(Deutsch)verruga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awrt
  • warrt
  • wartt
  • watr
  • wrat
  • wwart

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wart - 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.

awrt2warrt1wartt1watr2wrat2wwart1
Edit distance from "wart"

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 "wart"?
"wart" is spelled W-A-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /wɔːt/.
What does "wart" mean?
As a noun, "wart" means: A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
What words are commonly confused with "wart"?
"wart" is commonly confused with "wt", "was", "way". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wart"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wart" is /wɔːt/. 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 "wart"?
From Middle English warte, werte, from Old English wearte, from Proto-West Germanic *wartā, from Proto-Germanic *wartǭ. Cognate with Dutch wrat, German Warze, Hunsrik Waarz, Swedish vårta and Danish vorte. 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 "wart", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

vino#38,677wich#38,688slob#38,621bate#38,748

Similar misspelling depth

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

Suzie6 variantsanima6 variantsSousa6 variantsSalma6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list