haunt

/hɔːnt/

//hɔːnt// verb

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

"haunt" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“haunt” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,131 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#14,131
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

haunt vs hut
60% similar
haunt vs hun
60% similar
haunt vs hurt
60% similar

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

Key facts for haunt
PropertyValue
Headwordhaunt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/hɔːnt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#14,131
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “haunt” 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). haunt 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 haunt is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hɔːnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,131 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for haunt, with forms such as "ahunt", "hanut", and "haunnt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hut", "hun", "hurt", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English haunten (“to reside, inhabit, use, employ”), from Old French hanter (“to inhabit, frequent, resort to”), from Old Northern French hanter (“to go back home, frequent”), from Old Norse heimta (“to bring home, fetch”) or/and from Old Englis… The correct English form is haunt, spelled H-A-U-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts).
  2. 2
    To make uneasy, restless.
  3. 3
    To stalk; to follow.
  4. 4
    To live habitually; to stay, to remain.
  5. 5
    To accustom; habituate; make accustomed to.
  6. 6
    To practise; to devote oneself to.
  7. 7
    To persist in staying or visiting.

Etymology

From Middle English haunten (“to reside, inhabit, use, employ”), from Old French hanter (“to inhabit, frequent, resort to”), from Old Northern French hanter (“to go back home, frequent”), from Old Norse heimta (“to bring home, fetch”) or/and from Old English hāmettan (“to bring home; house; cohabit with”); both from Proto-Germanic *haimatjaną (“to house, bring home”), from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“village, home”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village”). Cognate with Old English hǣman (“to cohabit, lie with, marry”); related to Old English hām (“home, village”), Old French hantin (“a stay, a place frequented by”) from the same Germanic source. Another descendant from the French is Dutch hanteren, whence German hantieren, Swedish hantera, Danish håndtere. More at home.

Synonyms

naglivedwell

This word in other languages

frecuentar(Español)hanter(Français)heimsuchen(Deutsch)assombrar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahunt,hanut,haunnt,hauntt,hautn,hhaunt,huant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ahunt2hanut2haunnt1hauntt1hautn2hhaunt1huant2
Edit distance from "haunt"

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 "haunt"?
"haunt" is spelled H-A-U-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hɔːnt/.
What does "haunt" mean?
As a verb, "haunt" means: To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts).
What words are commonly confused with "haunt"?
"haunt" is commonly confused with "hut", "hun", "hurt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "haunt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "haunt" is /hɔːnt/. 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 "haunt"?
From Middle English haunten (“to reside, inhabit, use, employ”), from Old French hanter (“to inhabit, frequent, resort to”), from Old Northern French hanter (“to go back home, frequent”), from Old Norse heimta (“to bring home, fetch”) or/and from ... 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 “haunt”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-U-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hɔːnt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hut” - see the side-by-side comparison. haunt vs hut
  • 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