have to
/ˈhæf.tə/
"have-to" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“have to” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Must; need to; to be urged to; to be required to; indicates obligation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-have-to · have to · English
have to · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "H" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | have to |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈhæf.tə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “have to” in English
Rare enough to double-check
have to is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈhæf.tə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for have to, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Dates back at least to the Old English habban + tō construction, with the same meaning as sense 1 below. The correct English form is have to, spelled H-A-V-E- -T-O.
Definition
- 1Must; need to; to be urged to; to be required to; indicates obligation.
- 2Must; expresses a logical conclusion.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how have to appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
You have to wear a seat belt.
I have to go to the bathroom.
Etymology
Dates back at least to the Old English habban + tō construction, with the same meaning as sense 1 below.
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.