handsome

/ˈhæn.səm/

//ˈhæn.səm// adj

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

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

The verdict

“handsome” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,950. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,950
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly

Corpus desk

Index EN-handsome · handsome · English

handsome · rank #4,950 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,950
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH GOP

Nearest frequency peer: GOP (-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 “handsome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “handsome” 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).

handsome vs handsomely
80% similar

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

Key facts for handsome
PropertyValue
Headwordhandsome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhæn.səm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,950
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “handsome”

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).handsomelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “GOP” (#4,949), “ho” (#4,951), “generate” (#4,948). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “handsome” is #4,950. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around handsome (IPA /ˈhæn.səm/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,950 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for handsome, with forms such as "ahndsome", "hadnsome", and "handdsome". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "handsomely", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th century), giving rise to the current appreciat… The correct English form is handsome, spelled H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly
  2. 2
    Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive
  3. 3
    Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive
  4. 4
    Good, appealing, appropriate.
  5. 5
    Good, appealing, appropriate.
  6. 6
    Good, appealing, appropriate.
  7. 7
    Generous or noble in character.
  8. 8
    Ample; moderately large.
  9. 9
    Of people and things: dexterous; skillful.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That is one handsome tree you've got there.
  2. I saw, I confess, some good dancing and some handsome women, which was all my pleasure.

Etymology

From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th century), giving rise to the current appreciatory senses (late 16th century).

This word in other languages

hermoso(Español)beau(Français)hübsch(Deutsch)bonito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahndsome
  • hadnsome
  • handdsome
  • handosme
  • handsmoe
  • handsoem
  • handsomme
  • handssome
  • hanndsome
  • hansdome
  • hhandsome
  • hnadsome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of handsome - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahndsome2hadnsome2handdsome1handosme2handsmoe2handsoem2handsomme1handssome1
Edit distance from "handsome"

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 "handsome"?
"handsome" is spelled H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæn.səm/.
What does "handsome" mean?
As an adjective, "handsome" means: Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly
What words are commonly confused with "handsome"?
"handsome" is commonly confused with "handsomely". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "handsome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "handsome" is /ˈhæn.səm/. 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 "handsome"?
From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam. The original sense was ‘easy to handle or use’, hence ‘suitable’ and ‘apt, clever’ (mid 16th century), giving rise to the current... 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 "handsome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

generate#4,948holidays#4,952employer#4,942pleasant#4,973

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Charlotte12 variantsportrait12 variantscancelled12 variantsreserves12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list