hawkish

/ˈhɔːkɪʃ/

//ˈhɔːkɪʃ// adj

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

"hawkish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hawkish” is an uncommon English word, ranked #57,421 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#57,421
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Resembling a hawk in appearance or behaviour.

Key facts for hawkish
PropertyValue
Headwordhawkish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɔːkɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#57,421
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hawkish” 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). hawkish 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 hawkish is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɔːkɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #57,421 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for hawkish in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hawk + -ish. The correct English form is hawkish, spelled H-A-W-K-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling a hawk in appearance or behaviour.
  2. 2
    Supportive of warlike foreign policy; bellicose; inclined toward military action.
  3. 3
    Favouring increasing interest rates; inclined towards increasing interest rates.

Etymology

From hawk + -ish.

This word in other languages

bagarreur(Français)falkenartig(Deutsch)

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 "hawkish"?
"hawkish" is spelled H-A-W-K-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɔːkɪʃ/.
What does "hawkish" mean?
As an adjective, "hawkish" means: Resembling a hawk in appearance or behaviour.
How do you pronounce "hawkish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hawkish" is /ˈhɔːkɪʃ/. 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 "hawkish"?
From hawk + -ish. 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 “hawkish”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-W-K-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɔːkɪʃ/ (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
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