wash

/wɒʃ/

//wɒʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“wash” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,271 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,271
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To clean with water.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wash vs WS
0% similar
wash vs way
50% similar
wash vs wax
50% similar

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

Key facts for wash
PropertyValue
Headwordwash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɒʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,271
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wash” 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). wash 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 wash is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wɒʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,271 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 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 wash, with forms such as "awsh", "wahs", and "washh". 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, "WS", "way", "wax", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wasshen, waschen, weschen (“to wash”), from Old English wascan (“to wash”), from Proto-West Germanic *waskan (“to wash”), from Proto-Germanic *waskaną, *watskaną (“to wash, get wet”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“wet, water”). Cognat… The correct English form is wash, spelled W-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To clean with water.
  2. 2
    To carry away or erode by the force of water in motion.
  3. 3
    To be eroded or carried away by the action of water.
  4. 4
    To clean oneself with water.
  5. 5
    To cover with water or any liquid; to wet; to fall on and moisten.
  6. 6
    To move with a lapping or swashing sound; to lap or splash.
  7. 7
    To be cogent, convincing; to withstand critique.
  8. 8
    To bear without damage the operation of being washed; to be suitable for washing.
  9. 9
    To cover with a thin or watery coat of colour; to tint lightly and thinly.
  10. 10
    To overlay with a thin coat of metal.
  11. 11
    To pass or extract (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over a liquid for the purpose of purifying it, especially by removing soluble constituents.
  12. 12
    To separate valuable material (such as gold) from worthless material by the action of flowing water.
  13. 13
    To cause dephosphorization of (molten pig iron) by adding substances containing iron oxide, and sometimes manganese oxide.
  14. 14
    To mix up tiles (before a new game) to make them random; to shuffle.

Etymology

From Middle English wasshen, waschen, weschen (“to wash”), from Old English wascan (“to wash”), from Proto-West Germanic *waskan (“to wash”), from Proto-Germanic *waskaną, *watskaną (“to wash, get wet”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“wet, water”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian waaske (“to wash”), West Frisian waskje (“to wash”), Dutch wassen, wasschen (“to wash”), Low German waschen (“to wash”), German waschen (“to wash”), Danish vaske (“to wash”), Faroese and Icelandic vaska (“to wash”), Norwegian Bokmål vaske (“to wash”), Norwegian Nynorsk vaske, vaska (“to wash”), Swedish vaska (“to wash”). The noun is cognate with Saterland Frisian Waaske (“wash”), West Frisian wask (“wash”), Dutch was (“wash”), Low German Wask, Waske (“wash”), German Wäsche (“wash”), Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish vask (“wash”).

This word in other languages

lavar(Español)laver(Français)waschen(Deutsch)lavar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: awsh,wahs,washh,wassh,wsah,wwash

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awsh2wahs2washh1wassh1wsah2wwash1
Edit distance from "wash"

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 "wash"?
"wash" is spelled W-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /wɒʃ/.
What does "wash" mean?
As a verb, "wash" means: To clean with water.
What words are commonly confused with "wash"?
"wash" is commonly confused with "WS", "way", "wax". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wash" is /wɒʃ/. 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 "wash"?
From Middle English wasshen, waschen, weschen (“to wash”), from Old English wascan (“to wash”), from Proto-West Germanic *waskan (“to wash”), from Proto-Germanic *waskaną, *watskaną (“to wash, get wet”), from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“wet, water... 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 “wash”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-A-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /wɒʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “WS” - see the side-by-side comparison. wash vs WS
  • 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