Waterloo

/ˌwɔːtəˈluː/

//ˌwɔːtəˈluː// name

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

"waterloo" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Waterloo” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,668. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,668
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A village in Walloon Brabant, Belgium; the site of a major military battle in 1815.

Corpus desk

Index EN-waterloo · Waterloo · English

Waterloo · rank #14,668 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,668
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Warwick

Nearest frequency peer: Warwick (-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 “Waterloo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Waterloo” 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
Key facts for Waterloo
PropertyValue
HeadwordWaterloo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˌwɔːtəˈluː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,668
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Waterloo”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Warwick” (#14,667), “weeds” (#14,669), “WAL” (#14,666). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “Waterloo” is #14,668. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Waterloo (IPA /ˌwɔːtəˈluː/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #14,668 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 42 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Waterloo, with forms such as "awterloo", "waetrloo", and "watelroo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle Dutch, composed of water (“water”) + loo (“sacred wood, forest”). More at water, lea. cf. German Loh. Most places in English-speaking countries are named for the battle. The correct English form is Waterloo, spelled W-A-T-E-R-L-O-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A village in Walloon Brabant, Belgium; the site of a major military battle in 1815.
  2. 2
    A battle fought at Waterloo, Belgium on June 18, 1815, resulting in the epic, final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.
  3. 3
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  4. 4
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  5. 5
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  6. 6
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
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    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  8. 8
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  9. 9
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  10. 10
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  11. 11
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  12. 12
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  13. 13
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  14. 14
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  15. 15
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  16. 16
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  17. 17
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  18. 18
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  19. 19
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  20. 20
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  21. 21
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  22. 22
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  23. 23
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  24. 24
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  25. 25
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  26. 26
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  27. 27
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  28. 28
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  29. 29
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  30. 30
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  31. 31
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
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    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  33. 33
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  34. 34
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  35. 35
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  36. 36
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  37. 37
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  38. 38
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  39. 39
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  40. 40
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  41. 41
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.
  42. 42
    The name of any of several villages, towns, and cities around the world.

Etymology

From Middle Dutch, composed of water (“water”) + loo (“sacred wood, forest”). More at water, lea. cf. German Loh. Most places in English-speaking countries are named for the battle.

Synonyms

Battle of Waterloo

This word in other languages

Waterloo(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awterloo
  • waetrloo
  • watelroo
  • waterlloo
  • waterlo
  • waterolo
  • waterrloo
  • watreloo
  • watterloo
  • wtaerloo
  • wwaterloo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Waterloo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

awterloo2waetrloo2watelroo2waterlloo1waterlo1waterolo2waterrloo1watreloo2
Edit distance from "Waterloo"

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 "Waterloo"?
"Waterloo" is spelled W-A-T-E-R-L-O-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌwɔːtəˈluː/.
What does "Waterloo" mean?
As a proper noun, "Waterloo" means: A village in Walloon Brabant, Belgium; the site of a major military battle in 1815.
What are common misspellings of "Waterloo"?
Common misspellings include "awterloo", "waetrloo", "watelroo", "waterlloo", "waterlo". The correct spelling is "Waterloo".
How do you pronounce "Waterloo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Waterloo" is /ˌwɔːtəˈluː/. 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 "Waterloo"?
From Middle Dutch, composed of water (“water”) + loo (“sacred wood, forest”). More at water, lea. cf. German Loh. Most places in English-speaking countries are named for the battle. 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 "Waterloo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wrestler#14,674tripping#14,653thanking#14,649anterior#14,691

Similar misspelling depth

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

Warwick11 variantsZimmerman11 variantsspanning11 variantsBeckham11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list