hamlet

Name: hamlet, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈhæm.lɪt/

//ˈhæm.lɪt// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“hamlet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,061 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,061
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 9
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small village or a group of houses.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hamlet vs hammer

67% similar

hamlet vs Harley

50% similar

hamlet vs Harlem

50% similar

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

Key facts for hamlet
Property	Value
Headword	hamlet
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈhæm.lɪt/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#12,061
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hamlet” 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). hamlet lands here:

#12,061

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hamlet is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhæm.lɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,061 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hamlet, with forms such as "ahmlet", "halmet", and "hamelt". 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, "hammer", "Harley", "Harlem", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos Proto-Indo-European *tḱóymos Proto-Germanic *haimaz Frankish *haimbor. Old French ham Old French hamel Old French hameletbor. Middle English hamlet English hamlet… The correct English form is hamlet, spelled H-A-M-L-E-T.

Definition

1
A small village or a group of houses.
2
A village that does not have its own church.
3
Any of the fish of the genus Hypoplectrus in the family Serranidae.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos Proto-Indo-European *tḱóymos Proto-Germanic *haimaz Frankish *haimbor. Old French ham Old French hamel Old French hameletbor. Middle English hamlet English hamlet From Middle English hamlet, hamelet, a borrowing from Old French hamelet, diminutive of Old French hamel, in turn diminutive of Old French ham, of Germanic origin, from Frankish *haim, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (whence English home). Equivalent to Middle English ham (“home, village”) + -let (“small”).

This word in other languages

caserío(Español)hameau(Français)Weiler(Deutsch)aldeia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahmlet,halmet,hamelt,hamlett,hamllet,hamlte,hammlet,hhamlet,hmalet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "hamlet"

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 "hamlet"?

"hamlet" is spelled H-A-M-L-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæm.lɪt/.

What does "hamlet" mean?

As a noun, "hamlet" means: A small village or a group of houses.

What words are commonly confused with "hamlet"?

"hamlet" is commonly confused with "hammer", "Harley", "Harlem". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "hamlet"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hamlet" is /ˈhæm.lɪt/. 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 "hamlet"?

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.

Using “hamlet”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is H-A-M-L-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈhæm.lɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “hammer” - see the side-by-side comparison. hamlet vs hammer
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.