abhor

/əbˈhɔː/

//əbˈhɔː// verb

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

"abhor" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abhor” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,591. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,591
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abhor · abhor · English

abhor · rank #44,591 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,591
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Abreu

Nearest frequency peer: Abreu (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “abhor”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “abhor” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

abhor vs abo
60% similar
abhor vs Amor
40% similar
abhor vs ahoy
60% similar

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

Key facts for abhor
PropertyValue
Headwordabhor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əbˈhɔː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#44,591
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abhor”

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).abhorlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Abreu” (#44,592), “absentia” (#44,593), “accursed” (#44,594). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abhor” is #44,591. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around abhor (IPA /əbˈhɔː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #44,591 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for abhor, with forms such as "abbhor", "abhhor", and "abhorr". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "abo", "Amor", "ahoy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”). The correct English form is abhor, spelled A-B-H-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward.
  2. 2
    To fill with horror or disgust.
  3. 3
    To turn aside or avoid; to keep away from; to reject.
  4. 4
    To protest against; to reject solemnly.
  5. 5
    To feel horror, disgust, or dislike (towards); to be contrary or averse (to); construed with from.
  6. 6
    Differ entirely from.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I absolutely abhor being stuck in traffic jams.
  2. Let loue bee without dissimulation: abhorre that which is euill, cleaue to that which is good.

Etymology

First attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”).

Synonyms

hate

This word in other languages

aborrecer(Español)abhorrer(Français)verabscheuen(Deutsch)abominar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbhor
  • abhhor
  • abhorr
  • abhro
  • abohr
  • ahbor
  • bahor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abhor - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abbhor1abhhor1abhorr1abhro2abohr2ahbor2bahor2
Edit distance from "abhor"

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 "abhor"?
"abhor" is spelled A-B-H-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈhɔː/.
What does "abhor" mean?
As a verb, "abhor" means: To regard (someone or something) as horrifying or detestable; to feel great repugnance toward.
What words are commonly confused with "abhor"?
"abhor" is commonly confused with "abo", "Amor", "ahoy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abhor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abhor" is /əbˈhɔː/. 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 "abhor"?
First attested in 1449, from Middle English abhorren, borrowed from Middle French abhorrer, from Latin abhorreō (“shrink away from in horror”), from ab- (“from”) + horreō (“stand aghast, bristle with fear”). 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 "abhor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Abreu#44,592Zappa#44,580aight#44,604yucca#44,578

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

amoeba7 variantsappend7 variantstulsi7 variantsbedded7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list