Hannibal

/ˈhænɪbəl/

//ˈhænɪbəl// name

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

The verdict

“Hannibal” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,929. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,929
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A male given name from Punic of mostly historical use. Most notably borne by the Carthaginian general Hannibal, son of Hamilcar.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hannibal · Hannibal · English

Hannibal · rank #16,929 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,929
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 23,837
  • PHOTO-FINISH Goodwin

Nearest frequency peer: Goodwin (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Hannibal”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Hannibal” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for Hannibal
PropertyValue
HeadwordHannibal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈhænɪbəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#16,929
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Hannibal” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around Hannibal (IPA /ˈhænɪbəl/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #16,929 among 23,837 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Hannibal, with forms such as "ahnnibal", "hanibal", and "haninbal". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Hannibal, a rendering of Punic 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 (ḥnbʿl /⁠ḥannībaʿl⁠/, “May the Lord (Baal) grace me”). The correct English form is Hannibal, spelled H-A-N-N-I-B-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from Punic of mostly historical use. Most notably borne by the Carthaginian general Hannibal, son of Hamilcar.
  2. 2
    A city in Missouri, United States.

Etymology

From Latin Hannibal, a rendering of Punic 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 (ḥnbʿl /⁠ḥannībaʿl⁠/, “May the Lord (Baal) grace me”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahnnibal
  • hanibal
  • haninbal
  • hannbial
  • hanniabl
  • hanniball
  • hannibbal
  • hannibla
  • hhannibal
  • hnanibal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Hannibal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahnnibal2hanibal1haninbal2hannbial2hanniabl2hanniball1hannibbal1hannibla2
Edit distance from "Hannibal"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Hannibal"?
"Hannibal" is spelled H-A-N-N-I-B-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhænɪbəl/.
What does "Hannibal" mean?
As a proper noun, "Hannibal" means: A male given name from Punic of mostly historical use. Most notably borne by the Carthaginian general Hannibal, son of Hamilcar.
What are common misspellings of "Hannibal"?
Common misspellings include "ahnnibal", "hanibal", "haninbal", "hannbial", "hanniabl". The correct spelling is "Hannibal".
How do you pronounce "Hannibal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hannibal" is /ˈhænɪbəl/. 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 "Hannibal"?
From Latin Hannibal, a rendering of Punic 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 (ḥnbʿl /⁠ḥannībaʿl⁠/, “May the Lord (Baal) grace me”). 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 "Hannibal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list