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” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,131. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,131
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts).

Corpus desk

Index EN-haunt · haunt · English

haunt · rank #14,131 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,131
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hanson

Nearest frequency peer: Hanson (-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 “haunt”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “haunt” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “haunt”

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).hauntlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hanson” (#14,130), “Hayden” (#14,132), “hah” (#14,129). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “haunt” is #14,131. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around haunt (IPA /hɔːnt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,131 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A couple of ghosts haunt the old, burnt-down house.
  2. You wrong me Sir,thus ſtill to haunt my houſe.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "haunt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hazel#14,133flair#14,123hyped#14,140ethic#14,119

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

kettle7 variantsKylie7 variantsdipped7 variantsMalta7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list