wash out

verb

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

"wash-out" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wash out” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To wash the inside of something.

Key facts for wash out
PropertyValue
Headwordwash out
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wash out” sits in English frequency

wash out falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wash out is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for wash out, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wash + out. The correct English form is wash out, spelled W-A-S-H- -O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To wash the inside of something.
  2. 2
    To remove something by washing.
  3. 3
    To be removed by washing.
  4. 4
    To wear away by the flow of water; to erode.
  5. 5
    To cancel due to bad weather.
  6. 6
    To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding.
  7. 7
    To fail utterly at something one has attempted.

Etymology

From wash + out.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wash out"?
"wash out" is spelled W-A-S-H- -O-U-T.
What does "wash out" mean?
As a verb, "wash out" means: To wash the inside of something.
What is the origin of the word "wash out"?
From wash + out. 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 out”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-A-S-H- -O-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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