# hail

> English word · Noun · IPA /heɪl/ · frequency rank #8,042

## Definitions
1. Balls or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.
2. An occurrence of this type of precipitation; a hailstorm.
3. A rapid, intense barrage by a large number of projectiles or other objects.

## Etymology
From Middle English hayle, haile, hail, hawel, haghil, haȝel, from Old English hæġl, hæġel, hagol (“hail”), from Proto-West Germanic *hagl, from Proto-Germanic *haglaz, of uncertain origin. Either from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰlos (“pebble”); or alternatively from *ḱoḱló-, a reduplication of *ḱel- (“cold”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hail (“hail”), West Frisian heil (“hail”), Dutch hagel (“hail”), Low German Hagel (“hail”), German Hagel (“hail”), Danish hagl (“hail”), Swedish hagel (“hail”), Icelandic hagl (“hail”). Compare also Old Norse héla (“frost”). Doublet of haglaz, if the second etymology (“cold”) is correct.
Root-cognates outside of Germanic include Ancient Greek κάχληξ (kákhlēx, “pebble”), or alternatively Sanskrit शिशिर (śíśira, “cool, cold”), possibly also Lithuanian šešėlis (“shade, shadow”), depending on the etymology.

## Easily confused with
- **hi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hi)
- **his** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-his)
- **has** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-has)
- **him** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-him)
- **hit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hit)
- **hat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hat)
- **hip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hip)
- **HIV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hiv)
- **ham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-ham)
- **han** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-han)
- **hay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hay)
- **hid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hid)
- **hal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hal)
- **hui** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hui)
- **har** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-har)
- **haw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-haw)
- **hap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hap)
- **Hel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hel)
- **hao** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-hao)
- **Haq** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hail-vs-haq)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ahil`, `haill`, `hali`, `hhail`, `hial`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hail