windswept

adj

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

The verdict

“windswept” is uncommon English (frequency #57,176 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,176
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exposed to the winds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-windswept · windswept · English

windswept · rank #57,176 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,176
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wilford

Nearest frequency peer: Wilford (-2 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 “windswept”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for windswept
PropertyValue
Headwordwindswept
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters9
Frequency rank#57,176
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “windswept” 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).windsweptfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Wilford” (#57,174), “wod” (#57,179), “Westley” (#57,171). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “windswept” is #57,176. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

windswept is uncommon English at frequency #57,176 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Exposed to the winds.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for windswept in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wind + swept. The correct English form is windswept, spelled W-I-N-D-S-W-E-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exposed to the winds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We struggled over the windswept moorland.
  2. A noteworthy engineering feature on this line was the Owencarrow Viaduct, situated in one of the most windswept portions of the line. On January 30, 1925, a train was blown off the viaduct during a gale, and thereafter trains were prohibited from crossing when the wind exceeded a certain velocity.

Etymology

From wind + swept.

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 "windswept"?
"windswept" is spelled W-I-N-D-S-W-E-P-T.
What does "windswept" mean?
As an adjective, "windswept" means: Exposed to the winds.
What is the origin of the word "windswept"?
From wind + swept. 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 "windswept", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list