ahoy

/əˈhɔɪ/

//əˈhɔɪ// intj

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

"ahoy" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ahoy” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,107
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ahoy · ahoy · English

ahoy · rank #40,107 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,107
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH AGI

Nearest frequency peer: AGI (-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 “ahoy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ahoy” 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).

ahoy vs ay
50% similar
ahoy vs ao
50% similar
ahoy vs any
50% similar

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

Key facts for ahoy
PropertyValue
Headwordahoy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/əˈhɔɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#40,107
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ahoy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ahoylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “AGI” (#40,106), “adaption” (#40,104), “allo” (#40,110). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ahoy” is #40,107. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around ahoy (IPA /əˈhɔɪ/), aninterjection. Corpus frequency is #40,107 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for ahoy, with forms such as "ahhoy", "ahoyy", and "ahyo". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ay", "ao", "any", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”). The correct English form is ahoy, spelled A-H-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.
  2. 2
    Warning of something approaching or impending.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. While he was thus occupied, a voice, still more uncouth than the former, bawled aloud, ‘Ho! the house, a-hoy!’
  2. I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.

Etymology

From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”).

Synonyms

oiyohey

This word in other languages

ah(Español)ohé(Français)ahoi(Deutsch)olá(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahhoy
  • ahoyy
  • ahyo
  • aohy
  • haoy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ahoy - 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.

ahhoy1ahoyy1ahyo2aohy2haoy2
Edit distance from "ahoy"

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 "ahoy"?
"ahoy" is spelled A-H-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈhɔɪ/.
What does "ahoy" mean?
As an interjection, "ahoy" means: Used to hail a ship, a boat or a person, or to attract attention.
What words are commonly confused with "ahoy"?
"ahoy" is commonly confused with "ay", "ao", "any". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ahoy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ahoy" is /əˈhɔɪ/. 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 "ahoy"?
From a- + hoy (a nautical call used in hauling), from Middle English hoy (interjection), a greeting dating back to the fourteenth century. Compare Dutch hoi (“hi!, hello!”). 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 "ahoy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

allo#40,110Alva#40,112Yuen#40,095Baca#40,132

Similar misspelling depth

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

twit5 variantstoke5 variantscapo5 variantssoya5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list