haven

/ˈheɪvən/

//ˈheɪvən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“haven” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,797. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,797
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A harbour or anchorage protected from the sea.

Corpus desk

Index EN-haven · haven · English

haven · rank #5,797 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,797
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH guilt

Nearest frequency peer: guilt (-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 “haven”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “haven” 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).

haven vs hen
60% similar
haven vs hive
60% similar
haven vs haze
60% similar

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

Key facts for haven
PropertyValue
Headwordhaven
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈheɪvən/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,797
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “haven”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).havenlands 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 “guilt” (#5,796), “helicopter” (#5,798), “goodness” (#5,795). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “haven” is #5,797. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around haven (IPA /ˈheɪvən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,797 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for haven, with forms such as "ahven", "haevn", and "havenn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hen", "hive", "haze", 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 haven, havene, from Old English hæfen (“haven; harbour; port”), from Proto-West Germanic *habanu, from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō (compare Dutch haven, German Hafen, Norwegian/Danish havn, Swedish hamn, French havre), from Proto-Germ… The correct English form is haven, spelled H-A-V-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A harbour or anchorage protected from the sea.
  2. 2
    A safe place.
  3. 3
    A peaceful or tranquil place.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And the stately ships go on / To their haven under the hill;
  2. Since its conception, the European Union has been a haven for those seeking refuge from war, persecution and poverty in other parts of the world.

Etymology

From Middle English haven, havene, from Old English hæfen (“haven; harbour; port”), from Proto-West Germanic *habanu, from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō (compare Dutch haven, German Hafen, Norwegian/Danish havn, Swedish hamn, French havre), from Proto-Germanic *habą (“sea”) (compare Old English hæf, Middle Low German haf, Old Norse haf (“sea”), German Haff (“bay or lagoon behind a spit”), perhaps, in the sense of "heaving sea", etymologically identical with Old Norse haf (“heaving, lifting, uplift, elevation”), derived from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift, heave”)), or from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂pnós (compare Old Irish cúan (“harbor, recess, haven”)). Doublet of abra.

This word in other languages

puerto(Español)port(Français)Hafen(Deutsch)porto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahven
  • haevn
  • havenn
  • havne
  • havven
  • hhaven
  • hvaen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of haven - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahven2haevn2havenn1havne2havven1hhaven1hvaen2
Edit distance from "haven"

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 "haven"?
"haven" is spelled H-A-V-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈheɪvən/.
What does "haven" mean?
As a noun, "haven" means: A harbour or anchorage protected from the sea.
What words are commonly confused with "haven"?
"haven" is commonly confused with "hen", "hive", "haze". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "haven"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "haven" is /ˈheɪvən/. 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 "haven"?
From Middle English haven, havene, from Old English hæfen (“haven; harbour; port”), from Proto-West Germanic *habanu, from Proto-Germanic *habnō, *habanō (compare Dutch haven, German Hafen, Norwegian/Danish havn, Swedish hamn, French havre), 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 "haven", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

guilt#5,796Kenya#5,805eaten#5,786eagle#5,785

Similar misspelling depth

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

fitted7 variantslesser7 variantscabin7 variantsPutin7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list