hashtag

/ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/

//ˈhæʃˌtæɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hashtag” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,716. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,716
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A metadata tag, signaled by a preceding hash sign (#), used to label content.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hashtag · hashtag · English

hashtag · rank #11,716 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #11,716
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH harness

Nearest frequency peer: harness (-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 “hashtag”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hashtag” 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).

hashtag vs hasta
71% similar

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

Key facts for hashtag
PropertyValue
Headwordhashtag
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,716
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hashtag”

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).hashtaglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “harness” (#11,715), “Hassan” (#11,717), “hal” (#11,714). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hashtag” is #11,716. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around hashtag (IPA /ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,716 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hashtag, with forms such as "ahshtag", "hahstag", and "hashatg". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "hasta", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier hash tag, from hash (sign) + tag. The hash sign # was initially proposed as tag hash by Chris Messina to create groups on Twitter, modeled after the IRC channel prefix. First published use as hash tag by Stowe Boyd in 2007. The correct English form is hashtag, spelled H-A-S-H-T-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A metadata tag, signaled by a preceding hash sign (#), used to label content.
  2. 2
    The hash sign itself, especially when used as part of a hashtag.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I support the hash tag convention: http://tinyurl.com/2qttlb #hashtag #factoryjoe #twitter
  2. You can also search for a hashtag by typing a topic (without the #) in the search box and clicking Search.

Etymology

From earlier hash tag, from hash (sign) + tag. The hash sign # was initially proposed as tag hash by Chris Messina to create groups on Twitter, modeled after the IRC channel prefix. First published use as hash tag by Stowe Boyd in 2007.

This word in other languages

hashtag(Español)mot-clic(Français)Hashtag(Deutsch)marcador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahshtag
  • hahstag
  • hashatg
  • hashhtag
  • hashtagg
  • hashtga
  • hashttag
  • hasshtag
  • hasthag
  • hhashtag
  • hsahtag

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahshtag2hahstag2hashatg2hashhtag1hashtagg1hashtga2hashttag1hasshtag1
Edit distance from "hashtag"

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 "hashtag"?
"hashtag" is spelled H-A-S-H-T-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/.
What does "hashtag" mean?
As a noun, "hashtag" means: A metadata tag, signaled by a preceding hash sign (#), used to label content.
What words are commonly confused with "hashtag"?
"hashtag" is commonly confused with "hasta". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hashtag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hashtag" is /ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/. 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 "hashtag"?
From earlier hash tag, from hash (sign) + tag. The hash sign # was initially proposed as tag hash by Chris Messina to create groups on Twitter, modeled after the IRC channel prefix. First published use as hash tag by Stowe Boyd in 2007. 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 "hashtag", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

harness#11,715gradual#11,710Garrett#11,703Jakarta#11,729

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

dumping11 variantsdolphin11 variantsmolecule11 variantspeculiar11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list