English horn

noun

"english-horn" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“English horn” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A woodwind instrument similar to an oboe, but larger and pitched a fifth lower.

Key facts for English horn
PropertyValue
HeadwordEnglish horn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “English horn” sits in English frequency

English horn falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

English horn is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A woodwind instrument similar to an oboe, but larger and pitched a fifth lower.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for English horn, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of French cor anglais. The correct English form is English horn, spelled E-N-G-L-I-S-H- -H-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A woodwind instrument similar to an oboe, but larger and pitched a fifth lower.

Etymology

Calque of French cor anglais.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "English horn"?
"English horn" is spelled E-N-G-L-I-S-H- -H-O-R-N.
What does "English horn" mean?
As a noun, "English horn" means: A woodwind instrument similar to an oboe, but larger and pitched a fifth lower.
What is the origin of the word "English horn"?
Calque of French cor anglais. 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.

Using “English horn”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-N-G-L-I-S-H- -H-O-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list