wasp

/wɒsp/

//wɒsp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“wasp” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,459. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,459
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wasp · wasp · English

wasp · rank #18,459 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,459
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH warped

Nearest frequency peer: warped (-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 “wasp”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wasp” 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).

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

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

Key facts for wasp
PropertyValue
Headwordwasp
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wɒsp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#18,459
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wasp”

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).wasplands 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 “warped” (#18,458), “watermelon” (#18,460), “Vijay” (#18,457). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wasp” is #18,459. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around wasp (IPA /wɒsp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,459 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for wasp, with forms such as "awsp", "waps", and "waspp". 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, "WS", "way", "wax", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ Proto-Germanic *wapsō Proto-West Germanic *wapsu Old English wæps Middle English wasp English wasp Inherited from Middle English wasp, waspe, waps, from Old English wæsp, wæps, from Pro… The correct English form is wasp, spelled W-A-S-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
  2. 2
    Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).
  3. 3
    Any of the members of suborder Apocrita, excepting the ants (family Formicidae) and bees (clade Anthophila).
  4. 4
    A person who behaves in an angry or insolent way, hence waspishly.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ Proto-Germanic *wapsō Proto-West Germanic *wapsu Old English wæps Middle English wasp English wasp Inherited from Middle English wasp, waspe, waps, from Old English wæsp, wæps, from Proto-West Germanic *wapsu, from Proto-Germanic *wapsō, from Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ (“wasp”), from *webʰ- (“to weave”), referring to the insect's woven nests. Compare Dutch wesp, German Wespe, Danish hveps. Metathesis of /s/ and /p/ was both a process of some generality within English (compare grasp from Middle English grapsen, and—affecting other plosives—ascian ~ acsian (“to ask”)) and common in the reflexes of *wóps-eh₂ (“wasp”) in particular, as the aforementioned Germanic cognates (and non-Germanic cognates like Latin vespa) evince.

This word in other languages

avispa(Español)guêpe(Français)Wespe(Deutsch)vespa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awsp
  • waps
  • waspp
  • wassp
  • wwasp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awsp2waps2waspp1wassp1wwasp1
Edit distance from "wasp"

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 "wasp"?
"wasp" is spelled W-A-S-P. The IPA pronunciation is /wɒsp/.
What does "wasp" mean?
As a noun, "wasp" means: Any of many types of stinging flying insect resembling a hornet.
What words are commonly confused with "wasp"?
"wasp" 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 "wasp"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wasp" is /wɒsp/. 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 "wasp"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *webʰ- Proto-Indo-European *wóbʰseh₂ Proto-Germanic *wapsō Proto-West Germanic *wapsu Old English wæps Middle English wasp English wasp Inherited from Middle English wasp, waspe, waps, from Old English wæsp, wæps... 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 "wasp", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

slay#18,433Skye#18,431Sikh#18,430bard#18,490

Similar misspelling depth

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

Rowe5 variantsoily5 variantsHume5 variantsHara5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list