hillbilly

[ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li]

/[ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li]/ noun

The verdict

“hillbilly” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine Person aus den Bergen, insbesondere aus einer ländlichen Gegend mit einem Mangel an Bildung und Kultiviertheit

Key facts for hillbilly
PropertyValue
Headwordhillbilly
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hillbilly” sits in German frequency

hillbilly falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for hillbilly is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for hillbilly in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is hillbilly, spelled H-I-L-L-B-I-L-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine Person aus den Bergen, insbesondere aus einer ländlichen Gegend mit einem Mangel an Bildung und Kultiviertheit
  2. 2
    eine weiße Person aus dem ländlichen, südlichen Teil der USA

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hillbilly"?
"hillbilly" is spelled H-I-L-L-B-I-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li].
What does "hillbilly" mean?
As a noun, "hillbilly" means: eine Person aus den Bergen, insbesondere aus einer ländlichen Gegend mit einem Mangel an Bildung und Kultiviertheit
How do you pronounce "hillbilly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hillbilly" is [ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hillbilly" come from?
"hillbilly" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “hillbilly”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is H-I-L-L-B-I-L-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈhɪlˌbɪ.li] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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