hat trick
/ˈhætˌtɹɪk/
"hat-trick" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hat trick” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any magic trick performed with a hat, especially one involving pulling an object (traditionally a rabbit) out of an apparently empty hat.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hat trick |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhætˌtɹɪk/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hat trick” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
hat trick is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhætˌtɹɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for hat trick, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From hat + trick (“element of a magician’s or variety entertainer’s act; entertaining and difficult physical action”, noun). Sense 2 (“achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls”)—the original sporting sense—refers to the commem… The correct English form is hat trick, spelled H-A-T- -T-R-I-C-K.
Definition
- 1Any magic trick performed with a hat, especially one involving pulling an object (traditionally a rabbit) out of an apparently empty hat.
- 2An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.
- 3An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.
- 4An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.
- 5An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.
- 6An achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls.
- 7A means of securing a seat in the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament placing their hat upon it during an absence.
Etymology
From hat + trick (“element of a magician’s or variety entertainer’s act; entertaining and difficult physical action”, noun). Sense 2 (“achievement of a bowler taking three wickets in three consecutive balls”)—the original sporting sense—refers to the commemorative hat formerly given as a prize to the bowler by his club.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “hat trick”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-A-T- -T-R-I-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhætˌtɹɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.