windlass

/ˈwɪnd.ləs/

//ˈwɪnd.ləs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“windlass” is uncommon English (frequency #94,441 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,441
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various forms of winch, in which a rope or cable is wound around a cylinder, used for lifting heavy weights

Corpus desk

Index EN-windlass · windlass · English

windlass · rank #94,441 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,441
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH windage

Nearest frequency peer: windage (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “windlass”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “windlass” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for windlass
PropertyValue
Headwordwindlass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwɪnd.ləs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#94,441
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “windlass” in English

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).windlassfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “windage” (#94,440), “wingnut” (#94,442), “Wilke” (#94,439). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “windlass” is #94,441. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

windlass is uncommon English at frequency #94,441 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪnd.ləs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for windlass in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wyndlas, wyndelas, wyndlasse, wyndelasse, probably an alteration (due to Middle English windel) of Middle English windas, wyndas, wyndace, from Anglo-Norman windase, windeis and Old Northern French windas (compare Old French guindas, Med… The correct English form is windlass, spelled W-I-N-D-L-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various forms of winch, in which a rope or cable is wound around a cylinder, used for lifting heavy weights
  2. 2
    A winding and circuitous way; a roundabout course.
  3. 3
    An apparatus resembling a winch or windlass, for bending the bow of an arblast, or crossbow.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. With windlasses and with assays of bias, / By indirections find directions out.

Etymology

From Middle English wyndlas, wyndelas, wyndlasse, wyndelasse, probably an alteration (due to Middle English windel) of Middle English windas, wyndas, wyndace, from Anglo-Norman windase, windeis and Old Northern French windas (compare Old French guindas, Medieval Latin windasius, windasa), from Old Norse vindáss (“windlass”, literally “winding-pole”), from vinda (“to wind”) + áss (“pole”). Compare Icelandic vindilass.

This word in other languages

malacate(Español)

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 "windlass"?
"windlass" is spelled W-I-N-D-L-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɪnd.ləs/.
What does "windlass" mean?
As a noun, "windlass" means: Any of various forms of winch, in which a rope or cable is wound around a cylinder, used for lifting heavy weights
How do you pronounce "windlass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "windlass" is /ˈwɪnd.ləs/. 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 "windlass"?
From Middle English wyndlas, wyndelas, wyndlasse, wyndelasse, probably an alteration (due to Middle English windel) of Middle English windas, wyndas, wyndace, from Anglo-Norman windase, windeis and Old Northern French windas (compare Old French gu... 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 "windlass", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Westmore#94,431wellbore#94,429youngish#94,461absurdum#94,485

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list