half sister
/ˈhæf sɪstɚ/
"half-sister" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“half sister” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female sibling sharing a single parent.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | half sister |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhæf sɪstɚ/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “half sister” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
half sister is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhæf sɪstɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for half sister, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English halfesister, half-suster, half sister, equivalent to half- + sister. Compare Dutch halfzus, halfzuster (“half-sister”), German Halbschwester (“half-sister”), Swedish halvsyster (“half-sister”), Icelandic hálfsystir (“half-sister”). The correct English form is half sister, spelled H-A-L-F- -S-I-S-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1A female sibling sharing a single parent.
- 2A female half sibling (same dam, different sires).
Etymology
From Middle English halfesister, half-suster, half sister, equivalent to half- + sister. Compare Dutch halfzus, halfzuster (“half-sister”), German Halbschwester (“half-sister”), Swedish halvsyster (“half-sister”), Icelandic hálfsystir (“half-sister”).
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
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Using “half sister”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-A-L-F- -S-I-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhæf sɪstɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.