waterhole

Name: waterhole, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“waterhole” is uncommon English (frequency #69,577 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,577
frequency rank, English: 12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A depression in which water collects, especially one where wild animals come to drink.

Key facts for waterhole
Property	Value
Headword	waterhole
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#69,577
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “waterhole” 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). waterhole lands here:

#69,577

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

waterhole is uncommon English at frequency #69,577 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for waterhole, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: * water + hole. * (astronomy): Coined by Bernard Oliver in 1971, in allusion to the idea that this part of the spectrum would be that used by extraterrestrial intelligence to communicate. The correct English form is waterhole, spelled W-A-T-E-R-H-O-L-E.

Definition

1
A depression in which water collects, especially one where wild animals come to drink.
2
A watering hole; a place where people meet to drink and talk.
3
A part of the electromagnetic spectrum, between the regions where hydrogen and hydroxyl radiate, that is relatively quiet in terms of radio astronomy.

Etymology

* water + hole. * (astronomy): Coined by Bernard Oliver in 1971, in allusion to the idea that this part of the spectrum would be that used by extraterrestrial intelligence to communicate.

This word in other languages

aguaje(Español)abreuvoir(Français)Wasserloch(Deutsch)

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 "waterhole"?

"waterhole" is spelled W-A-T-E-R-H-O-L-E.

What does "waterhole" mean?

As a noun, "waterhole" means: A depression in which water collects, especially one where wild animals come to drink.

What is the origin of the word "waterhole"?

* water + hole. * (astronomy): Coined by Bernard Oliver in 1971, in allusion to the idea that this part of the spectrum would be that used by extraterrestrial intelligence to communicate. 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 “waterhole”

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

The one correct English spelling is W-A-T-E-R-H-O-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.