half

/hɑːf/

//hɑːf// noun

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

"half" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“half” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #374. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#374
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.

Corpus desk

Index EN-half · half · English

half · rank #374 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #374
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH guys

Nearest frequency peer: guys (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “half”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “half” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

half vs has
50% similar
half vs hat
50% similar
half vs ham
50% similar

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

Key facts for half
PropertyValue
Headwordhalf
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɑːf/
Letters4
Frequency rank#374
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “half” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).halflands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “guys” (#373), “hand” (#375), “given” (#372). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around half (IPA /hɑːf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #374 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for half, with forms such as "ahlf", "hafl", and "halff". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "has", "hat", "ham", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. Cognates Cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Old Dutch half, West Frisian heal, Dutch half,… The correct English form is half, spelled H-A-L-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
  2. 2
    One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
  3. 3
    One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
  4. 4
    Half of a standard measure, chiefly:
  5. 5
    Half of a standard measure, chiefly:
  6. 6
    The fraction obtained by dividing 1 by 2.
  7. 7
    Any of the three terms at Eton College, for Michaelmas, Lent, and summer.
  8. 8
    A half sibling.
  9. 9
    A child ticket. Two and a half to Paddington.
  10. 10
    abbreviated form for half marathon.
  11. 11
    Clipping of half-dollar.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I ate the smaller half of the apple.
  2. You don’t know the half of it.

Etymology

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. Cognates Cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Old Dutch half, West Frisian heal, Dutch half, German halb, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian halv, Icelandic hálfur and Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs). Compare halve, behalf.

This word in other languages

mitad(Español)moitié(Français)Hälfte(Deutsch)metade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahlf
  • hafl
  • halff
  • hallf
  • hhalf
  • hlaf

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahlf2hafl2halff1hallf1hhalf1hlaf2
Edit distance from "half"

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 "half"?
"half" is spelled H-A-L-F. The IPA pronunciation is /hɑːf/.
What does "half" mean?
As a noun, "half" means: One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided, or considered as divided.
What words are commonly confused with "half"?
"half" is commonly confused with "has", "hat", "ham". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "half"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "half" is /hɑːf/. 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 "half"?
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. Cognates Cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian, and Old Dutch half, West Frisian heal, D... 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 "half", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

guys#373hand#375fact#371mind#378

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

talk6 variantsvideo6 variantshours6 variantsoffice6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "half". Here's where to go from here.

  • "half" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "has". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #374 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list