halt

/hɒlt/

//hɒlt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“halt” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,924. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,924
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To limp; move with a limping gait.

Corpus desk

Index EN-halt · halt · English

halt · rank #7,924 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,924
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH guild

Nearest frequency peer: guild (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “halt”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “halt” 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).

halt vs has
50% similar
halt vs hit
50% similar
halt vs hot
50% similar

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

Key facts for halt
PropertyValue
Headwordhalt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/hɒlt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,924
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “halt”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).haltlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “guild” (#7,923), “han” (#7,925), “Henderson” (#7,926). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “halt” is #7,924. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around halt (IPA /hɒlt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,924 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for halt, with forms such as "ahlt", "hallt", and "haltt". 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", "hit", "hot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English halten, from Old English healtian (“to be lame, walk with a limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *haltōn, related to *halt. English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian halte, Swedish halta. The correct English form is halt, spelled H-A-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To limp; move with a limping gait.
  2. 2
    To stand in doubt whether to proceed, or what to do; hesitate; be uncertain; linger; delay; mammer.
  3. 3
    To be lame, faulty, or defective, as in connection with ideas, or in measure, or in versification.
  4. 4
    To waver.
  5. 5
    To falter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Here comes Sir Toby halting — you shall hear more; but if he had not been in drink, he would have tickled you othergates than he did.
  2. Do not smile at me that I boast her of, For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise, And make it halt behind her.

Etymology

From Middle English halten, from Old English healtian (“to be lame, walk with a limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *haltōn, related to *halt. English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian halte, Swedish halta.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahlt
  • hallt
  • haltt
  • hatl
  • hhalt
  • hlat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of halt - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahlt2hallt1haltt1hatl2hhalt1hlat2
Edit distance from "halt"

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 "halt"?
"halt" is spelled H-A-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hɒlt/.
What does "halt" mean?
As a verb, "halt" means: To limp; move with a limping gait.
What words are commonly confused with "halt"?
"halt" is commonly confused with "has", "hit", "hot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "halt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "halt" is /hɒlt/. 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 "halt"?
From Middle English halten, from Old English healtian (“to be lame, walk with a limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *haltōn, related to *halt. English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian halte, Swedish halta. 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 "halt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ESPN#7,920Liam#7,938dial#7,908monk#7,944

Similar misspelling depth

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

Isaac6 variantsDavies6 variantsnorm6 variantscows6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list