Waist vs Waste: Which Spelling Is Right?
Your waist is the middle of your body. Waste means to squander, or the rubbish left over.
a belt round his waist. Do not waste it.
The test that settles it
If you could point to it on a body or a garment, it is waist. Everything else — squandering, rubbish, barren ground — is waste.
“a 32-inch ___” → a measurement on a body, so waist.
“food ___ in supermarkets” → what is thrown away, so waste.
Picture the i in waist as a belt buckle standing upright in the middle of the word — exactly where your waist is. Waste shares its -aste with haste, and haste is how most things get wasted.
Waist: the middle of the body
The narrowest part of the torso, and by extension the corresponding part of a garment or the narrow middle of any object.
She tied the jumper round her waist.
The trousers are loose at the waist.
a dress with a high waist
Is it part of a body or a garment? Then waist.
Waste: to squander, or refuse
As a verb, to use something carelessly or to no purpose. As a noun, unwanted material. As an adjective, barren or unused — waste ground.
Do not waste your time on it.
household waste collection
a stretch of waste ground
Is something being squandered or thrown out? Then waste.
Side by side
| Waist | Waste |
|---|---|
| Part of the body | Squander, or rubbish |
| Noun only | Verb, noun and adjective |
| waistband, waistcoat, waistline | wasteful, wasteland, wastage |
| a narrow waist | a waste of money |
The exceptions
Waistband, waistcoat, waistline, waist-deep. If the compound is about the body, it takes the i — and there is no exception to that.
Waste ground, waste paper and waste heat use waste as an adjective meaning unused or discarded. Confusingly, wasted can also mean emaciated: a wasted figure. Neither is ever spelt with an i.
Where people get it wrong
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| What a waist of time. | What a waste of time. | Squandering. |
| The skirt is too tight at the waste. | The skirt is too tight at the waist. | The body. |
| a wastecoat and tie | a waistcoat and tie | The garment sits at the waist. |
| industrial waist disposal | industrial waste disposal | Rubbish. |
Practice — choose the right word, then check yourself.
- He measured his ___ before ordering.
- Recycling reduces household ___.
- The water came up to our ___.
- Do not ___ the opportunity.
- He wore a grey ___coat.
Show the answers
1. waist 2. waste 3. waists 4. waste 5. waist
Frequently asked
Is waste ever a body word?
Only in wasted, meaning thin from illness. The noun for the middle of you is always waist.
Which error is more common?
Waist of time for waste of time — and spellcheck never catches it.
More words people confuse
