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hang

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "hang", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "hang" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "hang" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

hang is aEnglishverb. It means: To be or remain suspended. Pronounced /ˈhæŋ/. It ranks #2,487 in English word frequency. Often confused with HG and hn.

Key facts for hang
PropertyValue
Headwordhang
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhæŋ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,487
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of hang in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hang is 4 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhæŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,487 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 6 documented wrong-spelling variants for hang, with forms such as "ahng", "hagn", and "hangg". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HG", "hn", "has", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hangen, hongen, from a fusion of Old English hōn (“to hang, be hanging”, transitive verb) and hangian (“to hang, cause to hang”, intransitive verb), respectively from the transitive verb Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han and the intransitive v… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is hang, spelled H-A-N-G, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be or remain suspended.
  2. 2
    To float, as if suspended.
  3. 3
    To veer in one direction.
  4. 4
    To rebound unexpectedly or unusually slowly, due to backward spin on the ball or imperfections of the ground.
  5. 5
    To hold or bear in a suspended or inclined manner or position instead of erect.
  6. 6
    To cause (something) to be suspended, as from a hook, hanger, hinges, or the like.
  7. 7
    To kill (someone) by suspension from the neck, usually as a form of execution or suicide.
  8. 8
    To be executed by suspension by one's neck from a gallows, a tree, or other raised bar, attached by a rope tied into a noose.
  9. 9
    (used in maledictions) To damn.
  10. 10
    To loiter; to hang around; to spend time idly.
  11. 11
    To exhibit (an object) by hanging.
  12. 12
    To apply (wallpaper or drywall to a wall).
  13. 13
    To decorate (something) with hanging objects.
  14. 14
    To remain persistently in one's thoughts.
  15. 15
    To prevent from reaching a decision, especially by refusing to join in a verdict that must be unanimous.
  16. 16
    To stop responding to manual input devices such as the keyboard and mouse.
  17. 17
    To cause (a program or computer) to stop responding.
  18. 18
    To cause (a piece) to become vulnerable to capture.
  19. 19
    To be vulnerable to capture.
  20. 20
    To throw a hittable off-speed pitch.
  21. 21
    To attach or cause to stick (a charge or accusation, etc.).

Etymology

From Middle English hangen, hongen, from a fusion of Old English hōn (“to hang, be hanging”, transitive verb) and hangian (“to hang, cause to hang”, intransitive verb), respectively from the transitive verb Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han and the intransitive verb *hangēn; also probably influenced by Old Norse hengja (“to suspend”) and hanga (“to be suspended”); all from Proto-Germanic *hanhaną and *hangāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱenk- (“to waver, be in suspense”). See also Dutch hangen, Low German hangen and hängen, German hängen, Norwegian Bokmål henge, Norwegian Nynorsk henga; also Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (hāhan), Hittite 𒂵𒀀𒀭𒂵 (/⁠kānk-⁠/, “to hang”), Sanskrit शङ्कते (śáṅkate, “is in doubt, hesitates”), Latin cūnctārī (“to delay”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahng,hagn,hangg,hanng,hhang,hnag

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for hang

Misspelling Variants of "hang"

ahng4hagn4hangg5hanng5hhang5hnag4
Misspelling Variants of "hang"

Frequency rank: #2,487 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hang"?
"hang" is spelled H-A-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæŋ/.
What does "hang" mean?
As a verb, "hang" means: To be or remain suspended.
What words are commonly confused with "hang"?
"hang" is commonly confused with "HG", "hn", "has". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hang"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hang" is /ˈhæŋ/. 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 "hang"?
From Middle English hangen, hongen, from a fusion of Old English hōn (“to hang, be hanging”, transitive verb) and hangian (“to hang, cause to hang”, intransitive verb), respectively from the transitive verb Proto-West Germanic *hą̄han and the intr... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter H in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.