washboard

noun

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

"washboard" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“washboard” is uncommon English (frequency #66,396 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,396
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A board with a corrugated surface against which laundry may be rubbed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-washboard · washboard · English

washboard · rank #66,396 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,396
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Washoe

Nearest frequency peer: Washoe (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “washboard”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “washboard” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for washboard
PropertyValue
Headwordwashboard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#66,396
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “washboard” in English

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).washboardfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Washoe” (#66,397), “waitlist” (#66,393), “Werth” (#66,399). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “washboard” is #66,396. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

washboard is uncommon English at frequency #66,396 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for washboard, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wash + board. The correct English form is washboard, spelled W-A-S-H-B-O-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A board with a corrugated surface against which laundry may be rubbed.
  2. 2
    Such a board used as a simple percussion instrument.
  3. 3
    A board fastened along a ship's gunwale to prevent splashing; a splashboard.
  4. 4
    A stretch of ripples or bumps on a dirt or gravel road caused by interaction between traffic and road surface.
  5. 5
    Ellipsis of washboard abs.
  6. 6
    Baseboard; skirting board.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. washboard road
  2. It's a rough trip no matter how you come, for these washboard roads will loosen up even brandnew cars pretty fast; and hitchhikers always find the going bad.

Etymology

From wash + board.

This word in other languages

lavadero(Español)planche à laver(Français)Waschbrett(Deutsch)costeleta(Português)

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 "washboard"?
"washboard" is spelled W-A-S-H-B-O-A-R-D.
What does "washboard" mean?
As a noun, "washboard" means: A board with a corrugated surface against which laundry may be rubbed.
What is the origin of the word "washboard"?
From wash + board. 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 "washboard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

windstorm#66,408unlearned#66,375Yggdrasil#66,420unbalance#66,370

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list