ad hoc
/ˌæd ˈhɒk/
"ad-hoc" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ad hoc” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - For a particular purpose.
Corpus desk
Index EN-ad-hoc · ad hoc · English
ad hoc · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ad hoc |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌæd ˈhɒk/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “ad hoc” in English
Rare enough to double-check
ad hoc is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌæd ˈhɒk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for ad hoc in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from New Latin ad hoc (“to this, for this”). The correct English form is ad hoc, spelled A-D- -H-O-C.
Definition
- 1For a particular purpose.
- 2Created on the spur of the moment; impromptu.
- 3Postulated solely to save a theory from being falsified, without making any new predictions.
- 4Independent of previously instated network structure, like routers or access points.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how ad hoc appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Over the past 20 years or so, from South America to the Danube basin, ad hoc coalitions of politicians, activists and conscience-stricken billionaires (whose core activities, such as Povlsen’s clothing business, are often less than environmentally friendly), have rewilded millions of acres of mostly failed agricultural and grazing land.
Contrary to the traditional condoning of ad hoc hypotheses, and in line with Popper's and Grünbaum's approaches, we see, once an ad hoc hypothesis is introduced we are unhappy about it and try to eliminate it.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin ad hoc (“to this, for this”).
This word in other languages
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.