harass

/həˈɹæs/

//həˈɹæs// verb

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

"harass" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“harass” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,132. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,132
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.

Corpus desk

Index EN-harass · harass · English

harass · rank #20,132 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,132
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hooded

Nearest frequency peer: hooded (+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 “harass”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “harass” 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 September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

harass vs harsh
67% similar
harass vs hares
67% similar
harass vs Harps
50% similar

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

Key facts for harass
PropertyValue
Headwordharass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/həˈɹæs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,132
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “harass” 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).harasslands 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 “hooded” (#20,133), “horrid” (#20,134), “grotesque” (#20,129). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around harass (IPA /həˈɹæs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #20,132 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for harass, with forms such as "ahrass", "haarss", and "haras". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "harsh", "hares", "Harps", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex”) (modern French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out”)), possibly from Old French harer (“to set a dog on”), from Frankish *hara (“her… The correct English form is harass, spelled H-A-R-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
  2. 2
    To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
  3. 3
    To put excessive burdens upon (someone); to subject (someone) to anxieties.
  4. 4
    To trouble (someone, or a group of people) through repeated military-style attacks.
  5. 5
    Often followed by out: to fatigue or tire (someone) with exhausting and repeated efforts.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For it is a stout calf, ripe for the temples and altar [to be sacrificed], and to be sprinkled with wine; who is now ashamed to draw the dugs of his mother, and who harasseth the oaks with his budding horn.
  2. In my old home, I always knew that John and my master were my friends; but here, although in many ways I was well treated, I had no friend. York might have known, and very likely did know, how that rein harassed me; but I suppose he took it as a matter of course that could not be helped; at any rate nothing was done to relieve me.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex”) (modern French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out”)), possibly from Old French harer (“to set a dog on”), from Frankish *hara (“here, hither”) (a command for a dog to attack), from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r (“here, in this place”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (“here; this”) + *ís (“the (person or thing just named)”) + *-r. The noun is derived from the verb.

This word in other languages

acosar(Español)harceler(Français)belästigen(Deutsch)assediar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrass
  • haarss
  • haras
  • harrass
  • harsas
  • hharass
  • hraass

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahrass2haarss2haras1harrass1harsas2hharass1hraass2
Edit distance from "harass"

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 "harass"?
"harass" is spelled H-A-R-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /həˈɹæs/.
What does "harass" mean?
As a verb, "harass" means: To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
What words are commonly confused with "harass"?
"harass" is commonly confused with "harsh", "hares", "Harps". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harass" is /həˈɹæs/. 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 "harass"?
The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex”) (modern French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out”)), possibly from Old French harer (“to set a dog on”), from Frankish *... 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 "harass", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hooded#20,133horrid#20,134Huawei#20,135jacked#20,146

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

glaze7 variantsfrail7 variantsClair7 variantsRhine7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "harass". Here's where to go from here.

  • "harass" maps to 11 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "harsh". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #20,132 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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