# hamza

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #33,267

## Definitions
1. A sign used in the written Arabic language representing a glottal stop. Hamza may appear as a stand-alone letter (ء (ʔ)) or most commonly diacritically over or under other letters, e.g. أ (ʔ) (over an alif [ا]), إ (ʔ) (under an alif), ؤ (ʔ) (over a wāw [و]) or ئ (ʔ) (over a dotless yāʾ [ى]). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule – the "seat of hamza rule".

## Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic هَمْزَة (hamza).

## Easily confused with
- **haze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-haze)
- **Hara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-hara)
- **Hana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-hana)
- **hazy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-hazy)
- **Huma** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-huma)
- **Hanna** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-hanna)
- **Hausa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-hausa)
- **hasta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamza-vs-hasta)
- **ham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ham-vs-hamza)
- **haa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haa-vs-hamza)
- **haha** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haha-vs-hamza)
- **Hamm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamm-vs-hamza)
- **hams** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hams-vs-hamza)
- **hala** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hala-vs-hamza)
- **Hama** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hama-vs-hamza)
- **Hamas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamas-vs-hamza)
- **Hamid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamid-vs-hamza)
- **Haifa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/haifa-vs-hamza)
- **Hamad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamad-vs-hamza)
- **Hamer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hamer-vs-hamza)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ahmza`, `hamaz`, `hammza`, `hamzza`, `hazma`, `hhamza`, `hmaza`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hamza