hag

/ˈhæɡ/

//ˈhæɡ// noun

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

"hag" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hag” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #30,075) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#30,075
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A witch, sorceress, or enchantress; a female wizard.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hag · hag · English

hag · rank #30,075 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,075
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH gummy

Nearest frequency peer: gummy (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “hag”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “hag” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

hag vs he
33% similar
hag vs hi
33% similar
hag vs HD
0% similar

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

Key facts for hag
PropertyValue
Headwordhag
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#30,075
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “hag”

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).haglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “gummy” (#30,074), “Handel” (#30,076), “harmonica” (#30,077). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hag” is #30,075. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for hag is neighbouring look-alikes ("he", "hi", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈhæɡ/. Frequency #30,075 among 2,646 “H” headwords. 10 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hag, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "he", "hi", "HD", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hagge, hegge (“demon, old woman”), shortening of Old English hægtesse, hægtes (“harpy, witch”), from Proto-West Germanic *hagatussjā. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Häkse (“witch”), Dutch heks, German Hexe (“witch”). Doublet of hex. The correct English form is hag, spelled H-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A witch, sorceress, or enchantress; a female wizard.
  2. 2
    An ugly old woman.
  3. 3
    An evil woman.
  4. 4
    A woman.
  5. 5
    A fury; a she-monster.
  6. 6
    A hagfish; one of various eel-like fish of the family Myxinidae, allied to the lamprey, with a suctorial mouth, labial appendages, and a single pair of gill openings.
  7. 7
    A hagdon or shearwater; one of various sea birds of the genus Puffinus.
  8. 8
    An appearance of light and fire on a horse's mane or a person's hair.
  9. 9
    The fruit of the hagberry, Prunus padus.
  10. 10
    Sleep paralysis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And that olde hag that with a staffe his staggering lymbes dooth stay
  2. Such unaccountable masses of shades and shadows, that at first you almost thought some ambitious young artist, in the time of the New England hags, had endeavored to delineate chaos bewitched.

Etymology

From Middle English hagge, hegge (“demon, old woman”), shortening of Old English hægtesse, hægtes (“harpy, witch”), from Proto-West Germanic *hagatussjā. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Häkse (“witch”), Dutch heks, German Hexe (“witch”). Doublet of hex.

Synonyms

magicianugly womanborerhagfishsleepmarkenslime eelsuckermyxinidhagdonhagletshearwaterbird cherryhackberry

This word in other languages

bruja(Español)sorcière(Français)Hexe(Deutsch)bruxa(Português)

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 "hag"?
"hag" is spelled H-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæɡ/.
What does "hag" mean?
As a noun, "hag" means: A witch, sorceress, or enchantress; a female wizard.
What words are commonly confused with "hag"?
"hag" is commonly confused with "he", "hi", "HD". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hag" is /ˈhæɡ/. 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 "hag"?
From Middle English hagge, hegge (“demon, old woman”), shortening of Old English hægtesse, hægtes (“harpy, witch”), from Proto-West Germanic *hagatussjā. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Häkse (“witch”), Dutch heks, German Hexe (“witch”). Doublet of... 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 "hag", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hsu#30,084FHA#30,046j00#30,104fez#30,045

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list