hamster
/ˈhæm(p)stɚ/
"hamster" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hamster” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,356 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,356
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
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 | hamster |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #19,356 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hamster” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hamster is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,356 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 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hamster, with forms such as "ahmster", "hammster", and "hamsetr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "haste", "hater", "Hester", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Hamster (see for etymology). Displaced earlier term German rat. The correct English form is hamster, spelled H-A-M-S-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
- 2Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
- 3Any of various other rodents of similar appearance, such as the maned hamster or crested hamster, Lophiomys imhausi, mouse-like hamsters of genus Calomyscus, and the white-tailed rat (Mystromys albicaudatus).
Etymology
Borrowed from German Hamster (see for etymology). Displaced earlier term German rat.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ahmster,hammster,hamsetr,hamsster,hamsterr,hamstre,hamstter,hamtser,hasmter,hhamster,hmaster
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hamster - 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
How do you spell "hamster"?
What does "hamster" mean?
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Using “hamster”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-A-M-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “haste” - see the side-by-side comparison. hamster vs haste
- 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.