washer

/ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/

//ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)// noun

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

"washer" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“washer” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,734. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,734
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something that washes; especially an appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher.

Corpus desk

Index EN-washer · washer · English

washer · rank #18,734 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,734
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH volcanoes

Nearest frequency peer: volcanoes (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “washer”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “washer” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

washer vs Water
50% similar
washer vs waste
67% similar
washer vs wiser
67% similar

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

Key facts for washer
PropertyValue
Headwordwasher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,734
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “washer” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).washerlands 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 “volcanoes” (#18,733), “watered” (#18,735), “viva” (#18,732). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around washer (IPA /ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,734 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for washer, with forms such as "awsher", "wahser", and "wasehr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Water", "waste", "wiser", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wasshere, wassher, equivalent to wash + -er. Cognate with Dutch wasser, German Wäscher. The correct English form is washer, spelled W-A-S-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that washes; especially an appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher.
  2. 2
    A person who washes (especially clothes) for a living; a washerman or washerwoman.
  3. 3
    A person who washes their hands compulsively, as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  4. 4
    A face cloth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A £1.2 million carriage washer has opened at Norwich Crown Point, enabling Greater Anglia to clean its 58 Stadler trains. It is one of two new washers (the other is for '720s' at Southend), […]

Etymology

From Middle English wasshere, wassher, equivalent to wash + -er. Cognate with Dutch wasser, German Wäscher.

This word in other languages

lavadora(Español)laveur(Français)Waschmaschine(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awsher
  • wahser
  • wasehr
  • washerr
  • washher
  • washre
  • wassher
  • wsaher
  • wwasher

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of washer - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

awsher2wahser2wasehr2washerr1washher1washre2wassher1wsaher2
Edit distance from "washer"

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 "washer"?
"washer" is spelled W-A-S-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/.
What does "washer" mean?
As a noun, "washer" means: Something that washes; especially an appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher.
What words are commonly confused with "washer"?
"washer" is commonly confused with "Water", "waste", "wiser". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "washer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "washer" is /ˈwɒʃə(ɹ)/. 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 "washer"?
From Middle English wasshere, wassher, equivalent to wash + -er. Cognate with Dutch wasser, German Wäscher. 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 "washer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tyrone#18,722afloat#18,750airbus#18,752sweeps#18,709

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

additive9 variantsblooms9 variantssinful9 variantsbullpen9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "washer". Here's where to go from here.

  • "washer" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Water". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #18,734 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "W" letter cohort. W–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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