hairnet

/ˈhɛɹˌnɛt/

//ˈhɛɹˌnɛt// noun

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

The verdict

“hairnet” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A net designed to keep hair up and out of the way, e.g. while cooking.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hairnet · hairnet · English

hairnet · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for hairnet
PropertyValue
Headwordhairnet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛɹˌnɛt/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hairnet” in English

hairnetranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hairnet is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɛɹˌnɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A net designed to keep hair up and out of the way, e.g. while cooking.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hairnet, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hair + net. Compare Dutch haarnetje, German Haarnetz, Danish hårnet, Swedish hårnät. The correct English form is hairnet, spelled H-A-I-R-N-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A net designed to keep hair up and out of the way, e.g. while cooking.

Etymology

From hair + net. Compare Dutch haarnetje, German Haarnetz, Danish hårnet, Swedish hårnät.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hairnet"?
"hairnet" is spelled H-A-I-R-N-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛɹˌnɛt/.
What does "hairnet" mean?
As a noun, "hairnet" means: A net designed to keep hair up and out of the way, e.g. while cooking.
How do you pronounce "hairnet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hairnet" is /ˈhɛɹˌnɛt/. 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 "hairnet"?
From hair + net. Compare Dutch haarnetje, German Haarnetz, Danish hårnet, Swedish hårnät. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list