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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #38,680 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#38,680
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of deformed growth occurring on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

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)

Where “wart” 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). wart lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for wart is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wɔːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #38,680 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “wart”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-A-R-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /wɔːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “wt” - see the side-by-side comparison. wart vs wt
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list