hamper

/ˈhæm.pə/

//ˈhæm.pə// noun

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

"hamper" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hamper” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,659. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,659
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hamper · hamper · English

hamper · rank #20,659 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,659
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Guyana

Nearest frequency peer: Guyana (-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 “hamper”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hamper” 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).

hamper vs homer
67% similar
hamper vs hater
67% similar
hamper vs happen
67% similar

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

Key facts for hamper
PropertyValue
Headwordhamper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæm.pə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,659
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hamper”

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).hamperlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Guyana” (#20,658), “Haskell” (#20,660), “Guthrie” (#20,657). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hamper” is #20,659. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hamper (IPA /ˈhæm.pə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,659 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hamper, with forms such as "ahmper", "hamepr", and "hammper". 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, "homer", "hater", "happen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (“case for holding a large goblet or cup”), from hanap (“goblet, drinking cup”), from Frankish *hnapp (“cup, bowl, basin”), from Proto-Ge… The correct English form is hamper, spelled H-A-M-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals.
  2. 2
    A wicker or plastic basket specifically for holding laundry (from clothes hamper).
  3. 3
    A gift basket.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a hamper of wine
  2. a clothes hamper

Etymology

From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (“case for holding a large goblet or cup”), from hanap (“goblet, drinking cup”), from Frankish *hnapp (“cup, bowl, basin”), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“cup, bowl”). Cognate with Old High German hnapf (“cup, bowl, basin”) (German Napf (“bowl”)), Dutch nap (“cup”), Old English hnæpp (“bowl”). More at nap.

This word in other languages

cesto(Español)bourriche(Français)Korb(Deutsch)canastra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahmper
  • hamepr
  • hammper
  • hamperr
  • hampper
  • hampre
  • hapmer
  • hhamper
  • hmaper

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hamper - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ahmper2hamepr2hammper1hamperr1hampper1hampre2hapmer2hhamper1
Edit distance from "hamper"

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 "hamper"?
"hamper" is spelled H-A-M-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæm.pə/.
What does "hamper" mean?
As a noun, "hamper" means: A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals.
What words are commonly confused with "hamper"?
"hamper" is commonly confused with "homer", "hater", "happen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hamper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hamper" is /ˈhæm.pə/. 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 "hamper"?
From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (“case for holding a large goblet or cup”), from hanap (“goblet, drinking cup”), from Frankish *hnapp (“cup, bowl, basin”), fro... 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 "hamper", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Guyana#20,658Graeme#20,651fruity#20,642Keynes#20,678

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Haskell9 variantsfiancée9 variantskosher9 variantsetched9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list