head

/ˈhɛd/

//ˈhɛd// noun

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

"head" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“head” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #288 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#288
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

head vs her
50% similar
head vs hey
50% similar
head vs hes
50% similar

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

Key facts for head
PropertyValue
Headwordhead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#288
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “head” 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). head 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 head is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɛd/. Corpus data places it at rank #288 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 59 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for head, with forms such as "ehad", "haed", and "headd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "her", "hey", "hes", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput- Proto-Germanic *haubudą Old English hēafod Middle English heed English head From Middle English hed heed, from Old English hēafd-, hēafod (“head, top, chief”), from Proto-West Germanic *ha… The correct English form is head, spelled H-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  2. 2
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  3. 3
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  4. 4
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  5. 5
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  6. 6
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  7. 7
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  8. 8
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  9. 9
    The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
  10. 10
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  11. 11
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  12. 12
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  13. 13
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  14. 14
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  15. 15
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  16. 16
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  17. 17
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  18. 18
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  19. 19
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  20. 20
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  21. 21
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  22. 22
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  23. 23
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  24. 24
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  25. 25
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  26. 26
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  27. 27
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  28. 28
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  29. 29
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  30. 30
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  31. 31
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  32. 32
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  33. 33
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  34. 34
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  35. 35
    The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
  36. 36
    A leader or expert.
  37. 37
    A leader or expert.
  38. 38
    A leader or expert.
  39. 39
    A leader or expert.
  40. 40
    A significant or important part.
  41. 41
    A significant or important part.
  42. 42
    A significant or important part.
  43. 43
    A significant or important part.
  44. 44
    A significant or important part.
  45. 45
    A significant or important part.
  46. 46
    A significant or important part.
  47. 47
    A significant or important part.
  48. 48
    A significant or important part.
  49. 49
    A significant or important part.
  50. 50
    Headway; progress.
  51. 51
    Topic; subject.
  52. 52
    Denouement; crisis.
  53. 53
    Pressure and energy.
  54. 54
    Pressure and energy.
  55. 55
    Pressure and energy.
  56. 56
    Fellatio or cunnilingus; oral sex.
  57. 57
    The glans penis.
  58. 58
    A heavy or habitual user of illicit drugs.
  59. 59
    Power; armed force.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput- Proto-Germanic *haubudą Old English hēafod Middle English heed English head From Middle English hed heed, from Old English hēafd-, hēafod (“head, top, chief”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubud, from Proto-Germanic *haubudą (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *káput. The modern word comes from Old English oblique stem hēafd-; the expected Modern English outcome for hēafod would be *heaved (similar to the Middle English word). Doublet of cape, capo, caput, chef, chief, and Howth. Cognate with Old English hafela (“head”), Scots heid, hede, hevid, heved (“head”), North Frisian hood (“head”), Dutch hoofd (“head”), German Haupt (“head”), Danish hoved (“head”), Faroese høvd, høvur (“head”), Icelandic höfuð (“head”), Norn heved (“head”), Norwegian hode (“head”), hoved- (“head, chief, main, principal”), Swedish huvud (“head”), Latin caput (“head”), Hindi कपाल (kapāl, “skull”), Sanskrit कपाल (kapāla, “skull”).

Synonyms

beanbeanerbelfryblockboncebrainboxbrain bucketdomeheadloaflollynappernoodlenoddlenogginnutsconceskull

This word in other languages

cabeza(Español)tête(Français)Kopf(Deutsch)cabeça(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehad,haed,headd,heda,hhead

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehad2haed2headd1heda2hhead1
Edit distance from "head"

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 "head"?
"head" is spelled H-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛd/.
What does "head" mean?
As a noun, "head" means: The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
What words are commonly confused with "head"?
"head" is commonly confused with "her", "hey", "hes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "head"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "head" is /ˈhɛd/. 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 "head"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput- Proto-Germanic *haubudą Old English hēafod Middle English heed English head From Middle English hed heed, from Old English hēafd-, hēafod (“head, top, chief”), from Proto-West Ge... 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 “head”

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

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