haggard

/ˈhæɡ.əd/

//ˈhæɡ.əd// adj

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

"haggard" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“haggard” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,198. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,198
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Looking exhausted, worried, or poor in condition

Corpus desk

Index EN-haggard · haggard · English

haggard · rank #31,198 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,198
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Guiana

Nearest frequency peer: Guiana (-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 “haggard”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “haggard” 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).

haggard vs hazard
71% similar
haggard vs hangar
71% similar
haggard vs Harvard
57% similar

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

Key facts for haggard
PropertyValue
Headwordhaggard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhæɡ.əd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,198
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “haggard”

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).haggardlands 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 “Guiana” (#31,197), “headings” (#31,199), “headliner” (#31,200). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “haggard” is #31,198. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around haggard (IPA /ˈhæɡ.əd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,198 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for haggard, with forms such as "ahggard", "hagagrd", and "hagard". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "hazard", "hangar", "Harvard", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French haggard, from Old French faulcon hagard (“wild falcon”) ( > French hagard (“dazed”)), from Middle High German hag (“coppice”) ( > archaic German Hag (“hedge, grove”)). Akin to Frankish *hagia ( > French haie (“hedge”)) The correct English form is haggard, spelled H-A-G-G-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Looking exhausted, worried, or poor in condition
  2. 2
    Wild or untamed

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Pale and haggard faces.
  2. A gradual descent into a haggard and feeble state.

Etymology

From Middle French haggard, from Old French faulcon hagard (“wild falcon”) ( > French hagard (“dazed”)), from Middle High German hag (“coppice”) ( > archaic German Hag (“hedge, grove”)). Akin to Frankish *hagia ( > French haie (“hedge”))

This word in other languages

consumido(Español)hagard(Français)abgespannt(Deutsch)abatido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahggard
  • hagagrd
  • hagard
  • haggadr
  • haggardd
  • haggarrd
  • haggrad
  • hgagard
  • hhaggard

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of haggard - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahggard2hagagrd2hagard1haggadr2haggardd1haggarrd1haggrad2hgagard2
Edit distance from "haggard"

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 "haggard"?
"haggard" is spelled H-A-G-G-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæɡ.əd/.
What does "haggard" mean?
As an adjective, "haggard" means: Looking exhausted, worried, or poor in condition
What words are commonly confused with "haggard"?
"haggard" is commonly confused with "hazard", "hangar", "Harvard". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "haggard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "haggard" is /ˈhæɡ.əd/. 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 "haggard"?
From Middle French haggard, from Old French faulcon hagard (“wild falcon”) ( > French hagard (“dazed”)), from Middle High German hag (“coppice”) ( > archaic German Hag (“hedge, grove”)). Akin to Frankish *hagia ( > French haie (“hedge”)) 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 "haggard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fixated#31,178immerse#31,218fibrous#31,175Fayette#31,172

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

gratis9 variantsGaussian9 variantshubris9 variantsgasped9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list