watershed

/ˈwɔːtəʃɛd/

//ˈwɔːtəʃɛd// noun

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

"watershed" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“watershed” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,454. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,454
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The topographical boundary dividing two adjacent catchment basins, such as a ridge or a crest.

Corpus desk

Index EN-watershed · watershed · English

watershed · rank #14,454 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,454
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Walton

Nearest frequency peer: Walton (-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 “watershed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “watershed” 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).

watershed vs watered
78% similar

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

Key facts for watershed
PropertyValue
Headwordwatershed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɔːtəʃɛd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#14,454
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “watershed”

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).watershedlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Walton” (#14,453), “weave” (#14,455), “waiver” (#14,452). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “watershed” is #14,454. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around watershed (IPA /ˈwɔːtəʃɛd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,454 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for watershed, with forms such as "awtershed", "waetrshed", and "waterhsed". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "watered", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From water + shed. A calque of German Wasserscheide. The correct English form is watershed, spelled W-A-T-E-R-S-H-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The topographical boundary dividing two adjacent catchment basins, such as a ridge or a crest.
  2. 2
    A region of land within which water flows down into a specified body, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean; a drainage basin.
  3. 3
    A critical point marking a change in course or development.
  4. 4
    The time during the day which material of a more adult nature (e.g., violence, swear words, or sex) may be broadcast on television or radio, either one permitted by law or one contrived from convention (e.g. when children are not watching).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how watershed appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. After Lesjaverk (23 miles) the eastern end of Lesjaskogsvatn is reached. This lake has the distinction of being a watershed. From the east end flows the Lågen, the great river that runs down Gudbrandsdal to Lake Mjøsa, while from the west end the Rauma River emerges to flow down to the Romsdalfjord.
  2. In the minds of many, 1847 was a watershed year during which Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, and Astraea were reclassified as asteroids.

Etymology

From water + shed. A calque of German Wasserscheide.

This word in other languages

parteaguas(Español)ligne de partage des eaux(Français)Wasserscheide(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awtershed
  • waetrshed
  • waterhsed
  • waterrshed
  • watersehd
  • watershde
  • watershedd
  • watershhed
  • watersshed
  • watesrhed
  • watreshed
  • wattershed
  • wtaershed
  • wwatershed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

awtershed2waetrshed2waterhsed2waterrshed1watersehd2watershde2watershedd1watershhed1
Edit distance from "watershed"

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 "watershed"?
"watershed" is spelled W-A-T-E-R-S-H-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɔːtəʃɛd/.
What does "watershed" mean?
As a noun, "watershed" means: The topographical boundary dividing two adjacent catchment basins, such as a ridge or a crest.
What words are commonly confused with "watershed"?
"watershed" is commonly confused with "watered". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "watershed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "watershed" is /ˈwɔːtəʃɛd/. 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 "watershed"?
From water + shed. A calque of German Wasserscheide. 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 "watershed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Wilkinson#14,456alleviate#14,461televised#14,437bilingual#14,475

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

adrenaline14 variantscompletes14 variantsdetecting14 variantsdishonest14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list