watercress

/ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/

//ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs// noun

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

"watercress" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“watercress” is an uncommon English word, ranked #53,949 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#53,949
frequency rank, English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A perennial European herb, Nasturtium officinale, that grows in freshwater streams; used in salads and as a garnish.

Key facts for watercress
PropertyValue
Headwordwatercress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#53,949
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “watercress” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). watercress lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for watercress is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/. Corpus data places it at rank #53,949 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for watercress in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English water cresse, water-kresse, watercrasse, water cars, equivalent to water + cress. Cognate with West Frisian waterkers (“watercress”), Dutch waterkers (“watercress”), Swedish vattenkrasse (“watercress”). The correct English form is watercress, spelled W-A-T-E-R-C-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A perennial European herb, Nasturtium officinale, that grows in freshwater streams; used in salads and as a garnish.
  2. 2
    A similar plant, Nasturtium microphyllum.

Etymology

From Middle English water cresse, water-kresse, watercrasse, water cars, equivalent to water + cress. Cognate with West Frisian waterkers (“watercress”), Dutch waterkers (“watercress”), Swedish vattenkrasse (“watercress”).

This word in other languages

berro(Español)cresson de fontaine(Français)Brunnenkresse(Deutsch)agrião(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 "watercress"?
"watercress" is spelled W-A-T-E-R-C-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/.
What does "watercress" mean?
As a noun, "watercress" means: A perennial European herb, Nasturtium officinale, that grows in freshwater streams; used in salads and as a garnish.
How do you pronounce "watercress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "watercress" is /ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/. 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 "watercress"?
From Middle English water cresse, water-kresse, watercrasse, water cars, equivalent to water + cress. Cognate with West Frisian waterkers (“watercress”), Dutch waterkers (“watercress”), Swedish vattenkrasse (“watercress”). 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 “watercress”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-A-T-E-R-C-R-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list