# handbook

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhændˌbʊk/ · frequency rank #8,798

## Definitions
1. A topically organized book of reference on a certain field of knowledge, regardless of size, but archetypally one to be kept readily at hand.
2. A place where illicit bets can be placed.

## Etymology
From Middle English handbok, from Old English handbōc (“handbook”), possibly reinforced as a calque of German Handbuch (“handbook”). By surface analysis, hand + book. Compare West Frisian hânboek (“handbook”), Dutch handboek (“handbook”), German Low German Handbook (“handbook”), Danish håndbog (“handbook”), Swedish handbok (“handbook”), Icelandic handbók (“handbook”).

## Common misspellings (12)
`ahndbook`, `hadnbook`, `hanbdook`, `handbbook`, `handbok`, `handboko`, `handbookk`, `handdbook`, `handobok`, `hanndbook`, `hhandbook`, `hnadbook`

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