waterfast
"waterfast" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“waterfast” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - watertight
Corpus desk
Index EN-waterfast · waterfast · English
waterfast · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "W" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | waterfast |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “waterfast” in English
Rare enough to double-check
waterfast is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for waterfast, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From water + fast. Cognate with Scots wattirfast (“watertight”), West Frisian wetterfêst (“waterproof”), Dutch watervast (“waterproof”), German wasserfest (“waterproof”), Danish vandfast (“waterproof”), Swedish vattenfast (“waterproof”). The correct English form is waterfast, spelled W-A-T-E-R-F-A-S-T.
Definition
- 1watertight
- 2waterproof
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how waterfast appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If you spot paste, and your paper is waterfast, wipe at once with a damp cloth or sponge. If the paper is not waterfast, wipe with a dry cloth.
A waterfast sunscreen, in other words, a product that stays on well despite swimming or heavy perspiration, is also advisable.
Etymology
From water + fast. Cognate with Scots wattirfast (“watertight”), West Frisian wetterfêst (“waterproof”), Dutch watervast (“waterproof”), German wasserfest (“waterproof”), Danish vandfast (“waterproof”), Swedish vattenfast (“waterproof”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.