Skip to main content
PlainSpell

hero

he·ro/ˈhɪɹ.oʊ/noun, verb

hero is a noun meaning “Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary or noble deeds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled H-E-R-O and has 2 syllables (he·ro), and it appears 48 times per million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of hero is heroes or heros.

What does hero mean?

noun

  1. 1

    Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary or noble deeds.

    My mom died a hero on duty.

  2. 2

    A role model.

  3. 3

    The protagonist in a work of fiction.

  4. 4

    The current player, especially a hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: villain (“any opponent player”). Not to be confused with hero call (“a weak call against a supposed bluff”).

    Let's discuss how to play if the hero has KK, and there's an ace on board.

  5. 5

    A large sandwich made from meats and cheeses.

  6. 6

    The product chosen from several candidates to be photographed, as in food advertising, or with props used in a movie.

  7. 7

    The eye-catching top portion of a web page, sometimes including a hero image; the portion above the fold.

  8. 8

    The standout component of a dish; the part of a dish that should take center stage on the palate.

verb

  1. 1

    informalTo act as a hero (brave person; role model; or protagonist).

  2. 2

    To praise or laud.

  3. 3

    To bring attention to; to highlight; to spotlight.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce hero?

  • UK /ˈhɪə.ɹəʊ/
  • UK [ˈhɪə.ɹəʊ~ˈçɪə.ɹəʊ]
  • US /ˈhɪɹ.oʊ/

Hero has 2 syllables, split he·ro in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hero.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of hero

  • heroes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • heros plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • heroing participle, present
  • heroeing participle, present, rare
  • heroed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How common is hero?

Hero appears 48 times per million words in written English, the 2,113th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

Hero in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchhéros, héroïne (person of great bravery), protagoniste (protagonist)
GermanHeld, Heldin, Kriegsheld, Kriegsheldin (person of great bravery), Hauptfigur (protagonist)
Portugueseherói, heroína (person of great bravery)
Spanishhéroe, heroína (person of great bravery)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does hero come from?

From Middle English heroes, from Old French heroes, from Latin hērōs (“hero”), from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “demi-god, hero”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to watch over, protect”); if so, related to Latin servo (“protect”). Displaced Middle English heleð, haleð, from Old English hæleþ, hæle.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).