Hentai

[ˈhɛntaɪ̯]

/[ˈhɛntaɪ̯]/ noun

The verdict

“Hentai” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #28,241 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#28,241
frequency rank, German
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein Genre mit pornographischem Hintergrund, das vorwiegend als Manga, Anime oder Erogē umgesetzt wird

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Hentai vs Henri
67% similar
Hentai vs Hektar
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Hentai
PropertyValue
HeadwordHentai
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈhɛntaɪ̯]
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,241
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Hentai” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Hentai lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Hentai is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈhɛntaɪ̯]. Corpus data places it at rank #28,241 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "ein Genre mit pornographischem Hintergrund, das vorwiegend als Manga, Anime oder Erogē umgesetzt wird".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Hentai, with forms such as "ehntai", "henati", and "henntai". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Henri", "Hektar", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Hentai, spelled H-E-N-T-A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Genre mit pornographischem Hintergrund, das vorwiegend als Manga, Anime oder Erogē umgesetzt wird

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehntai,henati,henntai,hentia,henttai,hetnai,hhentai,hnetai

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Hentai - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ehntai2henati2henntai1hentia2henttai1hetnai2hhentai1hnetai2
Edit distance from "Hentai"

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Hentai"?
"Hentai" is spelled H-E-N-T-A-I. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɛntaɪ̯].
What does "Hentai" mean?
As a noun, "Hentai" means: ein Genre mit pornographischem Hintergrund, das vorwiegend als Manga, Anime oder Erogē umgesetzt wird
What words are commonly confused with "Hentai"?
"Hentai" is commonly confused with "Henri", "Hektar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Hentai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hentai" is [ˈhɛntaɪ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Hentai" come from?
"Hentai" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “Hentai”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is H-E-N-T-A-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈhɛntaɪ̯] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Henri” - see the side-by-side comparison. Hentai vs Henri
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list