head of state

/ˌhɛd əv ˈsteɪt/

//ˌhɛd əv ˈsteɪt// noun

"head-of-state" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“head of state” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The chief public representative of a nation having duties, privileges and responsibilities varying greatly depending on the constitutional rules; a monarch in a monarchy, and often styled president...

Corpus desk

Index EN-head-of-state · head of state · English

head of state · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 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.

Key facts for head of state
PropertyValue
Headwordhead of state
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhɛd əv ˈsteɪt/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “head of state” in English

head of statesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

head of state is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌhɛd əv ˈsteɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The chief public representative of a nation having duties, privileges and responsibilities varying greatly depending on the constitutional rules; a monarch in a monarchy, and often styled president...".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for head of state, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is head of state, spelled H-E-A-D- -O-F- -S-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The chief public representative of a nation having duties, privileges and responsibilities varying greatly depending on the constitutional rules; a monarch in a monarchy, and often styled president in a republic, but variations such as collegiality exist.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "head of state"?
"head of state" is spelled H-E-A-D- -O-F- -S-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhɛd əv ˈsteɪt/.
What does "head of state" mean?
As a noun, "head of state" means: The chief public representative of a nation having duties, privileges and responsibilities varying greatly depending on the constitutional rules; a monarch in a monarchy, and often styled president...
How do you pronounce "head of state"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "head of state" is /ˌhɛd əv ˈsteɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "head of state" come from?
"head of state" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list