worsted

/ˈwʊs.tɪd/

//ˈwʊs.tɪd// noun

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

"worsted" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worsted” is uncommon English (frequency #58,463 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,463
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Yarn made from long strands of wool.

Corpus desk

Index EN-worsted · worsted · English

worsted · rank #58,463 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,463
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH witter

Nearest frequency peer: witter (-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 “worsted”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for worsted
PropertyValue
Headwordworsted
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈwʊs.tɪd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#58,463
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “worsted” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).worstedfalls 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: “witter” (#58,462), “wispy” (#58,461), “wincing” (#58,460). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “worsted” is #58,463. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

worsted is uncommon English at frequency #58,463 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwʊs.tɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for worsted, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English worstede, worsted, from Worstede (now Worstead; Old English *Wurϸestede), a town in Norfolk, England. The correct English form is worsted, spelled W-O-R-S-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Yarn made from long strands of wool.
  2. 2
    The fine, smooth fabric made from such wool yarn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An old ſet-ſtitch’d chair, valanced and fringed around with party-colour’d worſted bobs, ſtood at the bed’s head, oppoſite to the ſide where my father’s head reclined.
  2. [T]he kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; […]

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English worstede, worsted, from Worstede (now Worstead; Old English *Wurϸestede), a town in Norfolk, England.

This word in other languages

estambre(Español)gabardine(Français)Kammgarn(Deutsch)

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 "worsted"?
"worsted" is spelled W-O-R-S-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwʊs.tɪd/.
What does "worsted" mean?
As a noun, "worsted" means: Yarn made from long strands of wool.
How do you pronounce "worsted"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worsted" is /ˈwʊs.tɪd/. 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 "worsted"?
Inherited from Middle English worstede, worsted, from Worstede (now Worstead; Old English *Wurϸestede), a town in Norfolk, England. 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 "worsted", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wincing#58,460vesicle#58,443acolyte#58,491airfoil#58,495

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list