hamper
/ˈhæm.pə/
"hamper" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hamper” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,659 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #20,659
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hamper |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhæm.pə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #20,659 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hamper” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hamper is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhæm.pə/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,659 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 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
- 1A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals.
- 2A wicker or plastic basket specifically for holding laundry (from clothes hamper).
- 3A gift basket.
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
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.
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
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Using “hamper”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-A-M-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhæm.pə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “homer” - see the side-by-side comparison. hamper vs homer
- 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.