wisp
/wɪsp/
"wisp" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“wisp” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #42,996 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #42,996
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; a twisted handful of something; any slender, flexible structure or group.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wisp |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /wɪsp/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #42,996 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “wisp” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for wisp is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wɪsp/. Corpus data places it at rank #42,996 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for wisp, with forms such as "iwsp", "wips", and "wispp". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "WS", "wit", "wiz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, wipse, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *wisp, *wips. Cognate with West Frisian wisp, Dutch wisp (“bundle of hay or straw”), Norwegian bokmål/Swedish/Bornholm Danish visp (“handful or bundle of grass, hay, etc.”… The correct English form is wisp, spelled W-I-S-P.
Definition
- 1A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; a twisted handful of something; any slender, flexible structure or group.
- 2A small, thin line of cloud, smoke, or steam.
- 3A whisk, or small broom.
- 4A will o' the wisp, or ignis fatuus.
- 5An immeasurable, indefinable essence of life; soul.
- 6A flock of snipe.
- 7A disease affecting the feet of cattle.
Etymology
From Middle English wispe, wyspe, wips, wipse, perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *wisp, *wips. Cognate with West Frisian wisp, Dutch wisp (“bundle of hay or straw”), Norwegian bokmål/Swedish/Bornholm Danish visp (“handful or bundle of grass, hay, etc.”). Akin also to Middle Dutch/Middle Low German wispel (“measure of grain”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iwsp,wips,wispp,wissp,wsip,wwisp
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wisp - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “wisp”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-I-S-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /wɪsp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “WS” - see the side-by-side comparison. wisp vs WS
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.