harlot

/ˈhɑːlət/

//ˈhɑːlət// noun

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

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

The verdict

“harlot” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,088 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#47,088
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female prostitute.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

harlot vs hart
67% similar
harlot vs Harmon
50% similar
harlot vs harrow
67% similar

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

Key facts for harlot
PropertyValue
Headwordharlot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɑːlət/
Letters6
Frequency rank#47,088
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “harlot” 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). harlot lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for harlot is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɑːlət/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,088 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for harlot, with forms such as "ahrlot", "halrot", and "harllot". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "hart", "Harmon", "harrow", and more, 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 harlot, from Old French harlot, herlot, arlot (“vagabond; tramp”), of obscure origin. Likely to be ultimately of Germanic origin, either from a derivation of *harjaz (“army; camp; warrior; military leader”) or from a diminutive of *karil… The correct English form is harlot, spelled H-A-R-L-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female prostitute.
  2. 2
    A female who is considered promiscuous.
  3. 3
    A churl; a common man; a person, male or female, of low birth, especially one given to low conduct.

Etymology

From Middle English harlot, from Old French harlot, herlot, arlot (“vagabond; tramp”), of obscure origin. Likely to be ultimately of Germanic origin, either from a derivation of *harjaz (“army; camp; warrior; military leader”) or from a diminutive of *karilaz (“man; fellow”). Compare English carlot.

This word in other languages

puta(Español)prostituée(Français)Dirne(Deutsch)puta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahrlot,halrot,harllot,harlott,harlto,harolt,harrlot,hharlot,hralot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harlot - 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.

ahrlot2halrot2harllot1harlott1harlto2harolt2harrlot1hharlot1
Edit distance from "harlot"

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 "harlot"?
"harlot" is spelled H-A-R-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːlət/.
What does "harlot" mean?
As a noun, "harlot" means: A female prostitute.
What words are commonly confused with "harlot"?
"harlot" is commonly confused with "hart", "Harmon", "harrow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harlot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harlot" is /ˈhɑːlət/. 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 "harlot"?
From Middle English harlot, from Old French harlot, herlot, arlot (“vagabond; tramp”), of obscure origin. Likely to be ultimately of Germanic origin, either from a derivation of *harjaz (“army; camp; warrior; military leader”) or from a diminutive... 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.

Using “harlot”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-R-L-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɑːlət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hart” - see the side-by-side comparison. harlot vs hart
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list