asshat

/ˈæshæt/

//ˈæshæt// noun

"asshat" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“asshat” is uncommon English (frequency #57,871 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,871
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An obnoxiously ignorant person; a fool.

Corpus desk

Index EN-asshat · asshat · English

asshat · rank #57,871 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,871
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH artic

Nearest frequency peer: artic (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “asshat”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “asshat” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for asshat
PropertyValue
Headwordasshat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæshæt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,871
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “asshat” in English

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).asshatfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “artic” (#57,869), “Arndt” (#57,867), “Ardennes” (#57,866). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “asshat” is #57,871. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

asshat is uncommon English at frequency #57,871 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæshæt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An obnoxiously ignorant person; a fool.".

asshat doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ass + hat, from the slang expression have one's head up one's ass, thus, wearing the ass as a hat. The term is extended to people who are clueless or bumbling, who don't understand what is going on. The correct English form is asshat, spelled A-S-S-H-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An obnoxiously ignorant person; a fool.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the same connotations as "FUCKWITS." for less extreme cases i suggest ASSHATS
  2. 1977 CHiPs 3 3/4" action figures (5 different: Ponch, Jon, Sarge,Jimmy Squeaks, Stupid Fucking Asshat Erik Mouse, and Wheels Willie) $10-15 each

Etymology

From ass + hat, from the slang expression have one's head up one's ass, thus, wearing the ass as a hat. The term is extended to people who are clueless or bumbling, who don't understand what is going on.

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 "asshat"?
"asshat" is spelled A-S-S-H-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæshæt/.
What does "asshat" mean?
As a noun, "asshat" means: An obnoxiously ignorant person; a fool.
How do you pronounce "asshat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "asshat" is /ˈæshæt/. 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 "asshat"?
From ass + hat, from the slang expression have one's head up one's ass, thus, wearing the ass as a hat. The term is extended to people who are clueless or bumbling, who don't understand what is going on. 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 "asshat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list