hamster

/ˈhæm(p)stɚ/

//ˈhæm(p)stɚ// noun

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

"hamster" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hamster” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,356. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,356
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hamster · hamster · English

hamster · rank #19,356 · 11 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,356
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heaps

Nearest frequency peer: heaps (+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 “hamster”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hamster” 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).

hamster vs haste
71% similar
hamster vs hater
71% similar
hamster vs Hester
57% similar

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

Key facts for hamster
PropertyValue
Headwordhamster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæm(p)stɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,356
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hamster”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hamsterlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “heaps” (#19,357), “Gunner” (#19,354), “goblin” (#19,353). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hamster” is #19,356. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around hamster (IPA /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,356 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
  2. 2
    Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
  3. 3
    Any 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).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The hamster stuffed his puffy cheeks with food.
  2. Since the pregnancy interceptive agents or the menses regulators may also influence the development of either trophoblasts or the maternal cells (epithelial and stromal) at the embryo attachment site, another in vitro assay method using using trophoblast cells of hamster and mouse isolated from a preplacental organelle, the ectoplacental cone, has been de…

Etymology

Borrowed from German Hamster (see for etymology). Displaced earlier term German rat.

Synonyms

Syrian hamster

This word in other languages

hámster(Español)hamster(Français)Hamster(Deutsch)hamster(Português)

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.

ahmster2hammster1hamsetr2hamsster1hamsterr1hamstre2hamstter1hamtser2
Edit distance from "hamster"

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"?
"hamster" is spelled H-A-M-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/.
What does "hamster" mean?
As a noun, "hamster" means: Any of various Old World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
What words are commonly confused with "hamster"?
"hamster" is commonly confused with "haste", "hater", "Hester". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hamster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hamster" is /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/. 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 "hamster"?
Borrowed from German Hamster (see for etymology). Displaced earlier term German rat. 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 "hamster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hooking#19,360glaring#19,351Gillian#19,349fooling#19,339

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

latency11 variantsmidterm11 variantsmidtown11 variantsdodging11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list