hairline

/ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn/

//ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn// noun

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

"hairline" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hairline” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,451. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,451
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The line along one's forehead where hair starts growing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hairline · hairline · English

hairline · rank #26,451 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,451
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH gymnast

Nearest frequency peer: gymnast (-2 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 “hairline”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hairline” 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).

hairline vs hairpin
75% similar
hairline vs hardline
75% similar
hairline vs hailing
75% similar

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

Key facts for hairline
PropertyValue
Headwordhairline
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#26,451
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hairline”

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).hairlinelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “gymnast” (#26,449), “handset” (#26,453), “harrowing” (#26,454). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hairline” is #26,451. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around hairline (IPA /ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,451 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hairline, with forms such as "ahirline", "hailrine", and "hairilne". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "hairpin", "hardline", "hailing", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hair + line. The correct English form is hairline, spelled H-A-I-R-L-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The line along one's forehead where hair starts growing.
  2. 2
    A very thin line in writing, drawing, or typography.
  3. 3
    A very thin line in writing, drawing, or typography.
  4. 4
    A fishing line made from hair.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It's just a receding hairline — it's not like you're going bald.
  2. Using a Danish technique, doctors can now insert plugs of just one or two hairs in front of an implanted area to simulate a natural hairline.

Etymology

From hair + line.

This word in other languages

Haarriss(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahirline
  • hailrine
  • hairilne
  • hairlien
  • hairlinne
  • hairlline
  • hairlnie
  • hairrline
  • hariline
  • hhairline
  • hiarline

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahirline2hailrine2hairilne2hairlien2hairlinne1hairlline1hairlnie2hairrline1
Edit distance from "hairline"

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 "hairline"?
"hairline" is spelled H-A-I-R-L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn/.
What does "hairline" mean?
As a noun, "hairline" means: The line along one's forehead where hair starts growing.
What words are commonly confused with "hairline"?
"hairline" is commonly confused with "hairpin", "hardline", "hailing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hairline"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hairline" is /ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn/. 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 "hairline"?
From hair + line. 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 "hairline", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gretchen#26,447horseman#26,464humanist#26,465foothold#26,426

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

handset11 variantsholster11 variantsflexing11 variantslandfall11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list