harrier

/ˈhæɹi.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈhæɹi.ə(ɹ)// noun

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

"harrier" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“harrier” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,663. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,663
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who harries.

Corpus desk

Index EN-harrier · harrier · English

harrier · rank #41,663 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,663
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hardman

Nearest frequency peer: hardman (-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 “harrier”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “harrier” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

harrier vs Harris
57% similar
harrier vs Harriet
71% similar
harrier vs hurried
71% similar

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

Key facts for harrier
PropertyValue
Headwordharrier
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæɹi.ə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,663
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “harrier”

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).harrierlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “hardman” (#41,662), “Hartlepool” (#41,665), “Halliwell” (#41,660). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “harrier” is #41,663. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around harrier (IPA /ˈhæɹi.ə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,663 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for harrier, with forms such as "ahrrier", "harier", and "harirer". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Harris", "Harriet", "hurried", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From harry + -er. The correct English form is harrier, spelled H-A-R-R-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who harries.
  2. 2
    Any of several birds of prey in the genus Circus of the subfamily Circinae which fly low over meadows and marshes and hunt small mammals or birds.
  3. 3
    A runner, specifically, a cross country runner.
  4. 4
    A kind of dog used to hunt hares; a harehound.

Etymology

From harry + -er.

This word in other languages

aguilucho(Español)busard(Français)Weihe(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrrier
  • harier
  • harirer
  • harreir
  • harrierr
  • harrire
  • hharrier
  • hrarier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahrrier2harier1harirer2harreir2harrierr1harrire2hharrier1hrarier2
Edit distance from "harrier"

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 "harrier"?
"harrier" is spelled H-A-R-R-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæɹi.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "harrier" mean?
As a noun, "harrier" means: One who harries.
What words are commonly confused with "harrier"?
"harrier" is commonly confused with "Harris", "Harriet", "hurried". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harrier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harrier" is /ˈhæɹi.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "harrier"?
From harry + -er. 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 "harrier", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hardman#41,662Hadrian#41,659Gwynedd#41,658Helmand#41,668

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

heeded8 variantsGordy8 variantsGiroux8 variantsJacqui8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list