habit

/ˈhæb.ɪt/

//ˈhæb.ɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“habit” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,764. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,764
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An action performed on a regular basis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-habit · habit · English

habit · rank #4,764 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,764
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH grandfather

Nearest frequency peer: grandfather (-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 “habit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “habit” 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).

habit vs hit
60% similar
habit vs hat
60% similar
habit vs hai
60% similar

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

Key facts for habit
PropertyValue
Headwordhabit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæb.ɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,764
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “habit”

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).habitlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “grandfather” (#4,763), “Harvard” (#4,765), “gather” (#4,762). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “habit” is #4,764. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around habit (IPA /ˈhæb.ɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,764 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for habit, with forms such as "ahbit", "habbit", and "habitt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hit", "hat", "hai", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English habit, from Latin habitus (“condition, bearing, state, appearance, dress, attire”), from habeō (“to have, hold, keep”). Distantly related to gift. Replaced Middle English abit, from Old French abit, itself from the same Latin source. Dis… The correct English form is habit, spelled H-A-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An action performed on a regular basis.
  2. 2
    An action performed repeatedly and automatically, usually without awareness.
  3. 3
    An addiction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It’s become a habit of mine to have a cup of coffee after dinner.
  2. a man of very shy, retired habits

Etymology

From Middle English habit, from Latin habitus (“condition, bearing, state, appearance, dress, attire”), from habeō (“to have, hold, keep”). Distantly related to gift. Replaced Middle English abit, from Old French abit, itself from the same Latin source. Displaced native Old English þēaw.

This word in other languages

costumbre(Español)habitude(Français)Gewohnheit(Deutsch)hábito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahbit
  • habbit
  • habitt
  • habti
  • haibt
  • hbait
  • hhabit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahbit2habbit1habitt1habti2haibt2hbait2hhabit1
Edit distance from "habit"

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 "habit"?
"habit" is spelled H-A-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæb.ɪt/.
What does "habit" mean?
As a noun, "habit" means: An action performed on a regular basis.
What words are commonly confused with "habit"?
"habit" is commonly confused with "hit", "hat", "hai". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "habit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "habit" is /ˈhæb.ɪt/. 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 "habit"?
From Middle English habit, from Latin habitus (“condition, bearing, state, appearance, dress, attire”), from habeō (“to have, hold, keep”). Distantly related to gift. Replaced Middle English abit, from Old French abit, itself from the same Latin s... 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 "habit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Laura#4,772naval#4,779noble#4,783burns#4,742

Similar misspelling depth

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

bullet7 variantsrobot7 variantswages7 variantsSusan7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list