harbinger

/ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/

//ˈhɑːbɪndʒə// noun

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

"harbinger" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“harbinger” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,427. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,427
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-harbinger · harbinger · English

harbinger · rank #32,427 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,427
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH handcrafted

Nearest frequency peer: handcrafted (-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 “harbinger”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “harbinger” 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
Key facts for harbinger
PropertyValue
Headwordharbinger
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,427
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “harbinger”

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).harbingerlands 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 “handcrafted” (#32,426), “Hamptons” (#32,425), “hammersmith” (#32,424). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “harbinger” is #32,427. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around harbinger (IPA /ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,427 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for harbinger, with forms such as "ahrbinger", "habringer", and "harbbinger". 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. 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: Originally, a person sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herberjour, herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from herbergier (“to set up camp; to shelter; to take shelter”) + -or (suffix forming agent nouns), from Ol… The correct English form is harbinger, spelled H-A-R-B-I-N-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
  2. 2
    One who provides lodgings; especially, the officer of the English royal household who formerly preceded the court when travelling, to provide and prepare lodgings.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. harbinger of danger; harbinger of doom; harbinger of spring
  2. Make all our Trumpets ſpeak, giue thẽ all breath / Thoſe clamorous Harbingers of Blood, & Death

Etymology

Originally, a person sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herberjour, herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from herbergier (“to set up camp; to shelter; to take shelter”) + -or (suffix forming agent nouns), from Old High German heribergan, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *harjabergu (“army camp, shelter”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbor. More at here, borrow.

This word in other languages

anunciador(Español)présage(Français)Vorbote(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrbinger
  • habringer
  • harbbinger
  • harbigner
  • harbinegr
  • harbingerr
  • harbingger
  • harbingre
  • harbinnger
  • harbniger
  • haribnger
  • harrbinger
  • hharbinger
  • hrabinger

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harbinger - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ahrbinger2habringer2harbbinger1harbigner2harbinegr2harbingerr1harbingger1harbingre2
Edit distance from "harbinger"

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 "harbinger"?
"harbinger" is spelled H-A-R-B-I-N-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/.
What does "harbinger" mean?
As a noun, "harbinger" means: A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
What are common misspellings of "harbinger"?
Common misspellings include "ahrbinger", "habringer", "harbbinger", "harbigner", "harbinegr". The correct spelling is "harbinger".
How do you pronounce "harbinger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harbinger" is /ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/. 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 "harbinger"?
Originally, a person sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herberjour, herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from herbergier (“to set up camp; to shelter; to take shelter”) + -or (suffix forming agent nouns... 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 "harbinger", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

guacamole#32,422hydroxide#32,439introvert#32,449Kitchener#32,463

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

generalize14 variantslawlessness14 variantsdynamical14 variantsdefection14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list