washing

/ˈwɒʃ.ɪŋ/

//ˈwɒʃ.ɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“washing” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,850. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,850
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of the verb to wash

Corpus desk

Index EN-washing · washing · English

washing · rank #5,850 · 11 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,850
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH visa

Nearest frequency peer: visa (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “washing”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “washing” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

washing vs waving
71% similar
washing vs waxing
71% similar
washing vs wasting
86% similar

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

Key facts for washing
PropertyValue
Headwordwashing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɒʃ.ɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,850
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “washing”

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).washinglands 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 “visa” (#5,849), “adjacent” (#5,851), “valve” (#5,848). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “washing” is #5,850. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around washing (IPA /ˈwɒʃ.ɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,850 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for washing, with forms such as "awshing", "wahsing", and "washhing". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "waving", "waxing", "wasting", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English waschynge, weschynge, from Old English *weasċing, *wæsċing (attested in weasċingweġ), from Proto-West Germanic *waskingu, equivalent to wash + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Waaskenge (“washing”), West Frisian wasking (“washing”), … The correct English form is washing, spelled W-A-S-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of the verb to wash
  2. 2
    Clothing, bedlinen or soft furnishings that have been, are currently being, or are to be washed; laundry.
  3. 3
    The residue after an ore, etc, has been washed
  4. 4
    The liquid used to wash an ore.
  5. 5
    A place where a precious metal found in gravel is separated from lighter material by washing.
  6. 6
    A thin covering or coat.
  7. 7
    A fraudulent transaction in which the same stock is simultaneously bought and sold for the purpose of manipulating the market.
  8. 8
    The covering of a piece with an infusible powder, which prevents it from sticking to its supports, while receiving the glaze.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I then took a piece of dry stone, ground it fine in a mortar, and placed the powder in water, the sand particles sunk rapidly to the bottom, while the clay remained suspended, and by several washings and decantings the sand and clay could be approximately separated […]
  2. My mother used to do the washing on a Monday

Etymology

From Middle English waschynge, weschynge, from Old English *weasċing, *wæsċing (attested in weasċingweġ), from Proto-West Germanic *waskingu, equivalent to wash + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Waaskenge (“washing”), West Frisian wasking (“washing”), Dutch wassing (“washing”), German Waschung (“washing”).

Synonyms

laundry

This word in other languages

lavado(Español)lavage(Français)Waschen(Deutsch)lavagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awshing
  • wahsing
  • washhing
  • washign
  • washingg
  • washinng
  • washnig
  • wasihng
  • wasshing
  • wsahing
  • wwashing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of washing - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

awshing2wahsing2washhing1washign2washingg1washinng1washnig2wasihng2
Edit distance from "washing"

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 "washing"?
"washing" is spelled W-A-S-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒʃ.ɪŋ/.
What does "washing" mean?
As a noun, "washing" means: The action of the verb to wash
What words are commonly confused with "washing"?
"washing" is commonly confused with "waving", "waxing", "wasting". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "washing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "washing" is /ˈwɒʃ.ɪŋ/. 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 "washing"?
From Middle English waschynge, weschynge, from Old English *weasċing, *wæsċing (attested in weasċingweġ), from Proto-West Germanic *waskingu, equivalent to wash + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Waaskenge (“washing”), West Frisian wasking (“w... 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 "washing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

surgeon#5,844Beijing#5,858skilled#5,841chasing#5,864

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Caribbean11 variantsdeadline11 variantsexcessive11 variantsjewelry11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list