handmaid

/ˈhændˌmeɪd/

//ˈhændˌmeɪd// noun

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

"handmaid" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“handmaid” is uncommon English (frequency #75,938 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,938
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-handmaid · handmaid · English

handmaid · rank #75,938 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,938
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hallucinogen

Nearest frequency peer: hallucinogen (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “handmaid”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “handmaid” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for handmaid
PropertyValue
Headwordhandmaid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhændˌmeɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#75,938
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “handmaid” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).handmaidfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “hallucinogen” (#75,936), “Halleck” (#75,935), “hardstyle” (#75,942). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “handmaid” is #75,938. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

handmaid is uncommon English at frequency #75,938 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhændˌmeɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for handmaid in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English handemayde, hand-maide, handmaide, handmayd, hand mayde, hand-mayde, haundmaid, hondemayde, hondmaide, hond-mayde. By surface analysis, compound of hand + maid, the first component in the sense of "ready at hand". The correct English form is handmaid, spelled H-A-N-D-M-A-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant.
  2. 2
    A moth of the species Dysauxes ancilla.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English handemayde, hand-maide, handmaide, handmayd, hand mayde, hand-mayde, haundmaid, hondemayde, hondmaide, hond-mayde. By surface analysis, compound of hand + maid, the first component in the sense of "ready at hand".

This word in other languages

azafata(Español)Dienerin(Deutsch)donzela(Português)

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 "handmaid"?
"handmaid" is spelled H-A-N-D-M-A-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhændˌmeɪd/.
What does "handmaid" mean?
As a noun, "handmaid" means: A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant.
How do you pronounce "handmaid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "handmaid" is /ˈhændˌmeɪd/. 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 "handmaid"?
Inherited from Middle English handemayde, hand-maide, handmaide, handmayd, hand mayde, hand-mayde, haundmaid, hondemayde, hondmaide, hond-mayde. By surface analysis, compound of hand + maid, the first component in the sense of "ready at hand". 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 "handmaid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Guernica#75,927Gracchus#75,923gazpacho#75,908Gandhian#75,901

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list