Hatteras

/ˈhætəɹəs/

//ˈhætəɹəs// name

Detailed reference entry for the English word "hatteras", 8-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "hatteras" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "hatteras" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

The verdict

“Hatteras” is an uncommon English word, ranked #54,824 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#54,824
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A former American Indian tribe in the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina, USA.

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Key facts for Hatteras
PropertyValue
HeadwordHatteras
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈhætəɹəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#54,824
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Hatteras” 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). Hatteras 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 Hatteras is 8 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhætəɹəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #54,824 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for Hatteras in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain, but probably from the local Algonquian language of the Hatteras Indians. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Hatteras, spelled H-A-T-T-E-R-A-S, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A former American Indian tribe in the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina, USA.
  2. 2
    A barrier island in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, United States.
  3. 3
    An unincorporated village in Dare County, North Carolina, United States.
  4. 4
    Short for Cape Hatteras, a cape on Hatteras Island in North Carolina, United States.

Etymology

Uncertain, but probably from the local Algonquian language of the Hatteras Indians.

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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “Hatteras, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/hatteras

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Hatteras"?
"Hatteras" is spelled H-A-T-T-E-R-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhætəɹəs/.
What does "Hatteras" mean?
As a proper noun, "Hatteras" means: A former American Indian tribe in the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina, USA.
How do you pronounce "Hatteras"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hatteras" is /ˈhætəɹəs/. 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 "Hatteras"?
Uncertain, but probably from the local Algonquian language of the Hatteras Indians. 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 “Hatteras”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-T-T-E-R-A-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhætəɹəs/ (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

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter H in our English index:

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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