half
/ˈhɑːf/noun, adjective, adverb, verb, preposition, interjection
half is spelled H-A-L-F: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 257 times per million words in written English, the 373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “half vs halve” about 720 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, half means “One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of half is halves.
How many letters and syllables are in half?
| Letters | 4: H-A-L-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 257 times per million words; the 373rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is half?
Half appears 257 times per million words in written English, the 373rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce half?
- UK /ˈhɑːf/
- /ˈhaːf/
- Australia /ˈhäːf/
Half has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-half.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with half
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: ha'.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with half?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as half from its last stressed vowel (/ɑf/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of half
- halves plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- 'arf
- ha'f
- halfe
- halving participle, present
- halved participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does half mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
I ate the smaller half of the apple.
- 2
One of two equal periods into which a game is divided.
An association football match usually consists of two halves of 45 minutes each.
- 3
One of the two opposite parts of the playing field of various sports, in which each starts the game.
- 4
UKhalf a pint of beer or cider. (Refusing a pint) Just a half, thank you. (Offering to top up a pint glass) Do you want a half in that? (Minimizing the amount of drink taken) A swift half at the Pear Tree.
- 5
A barrel measure of 27 gallons (half a hogshead).
- 6
The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
Three-quarters minus a quarter is a half.
- 7
Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
- 8
slangA half sibling.
adjective
- 1
Consisting of a half (½, 50%).
a half kilo
- 2
Consisting of some indefinite portion resembling a half; approximately a half, whether more or less; partial; imperfect.
a half truth
- 3
Having one parent (rather than two) in common.
a half brother or half sister
- 4
Related through one common grandparent or ancestor rather than two.
a half uncle or half aunt or half cousin
adverb
- 1
In two equal parts or to an equal degree.
- 2
In some part approximating a half.
- 3
Partially; imperfectly.
half-colored
- 4
Practically, nearly.
verb
- 1
To halve.
preposition
- 1
IrelandUKHalf past; a half-hour (30 minutes) after the last hour.
The time is 9:30; it is half nine.
- 2
rareA half-hour to (preceding) the next hour.
In some countries, "half seven" means 6:30.
interjection
- 1
A call reminding performers that the performance will begin in thirty minutes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate half?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of half: ha'.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Half in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | moitié , demi |
| German | Hälfte , halb , halb-, Halb- |
| Portuguese | metade, tempo , meio , parte |
| Spanish | mitad, metad (disused), meitad (disused) , medio , mediamente, semi- |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does half come from?
From Middle English half, halfe from Old English healf (“half”); as a noun, 'half', 'side', 'part', from Proto-West Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic *halbaz.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).