head over heels
/ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/
"head-over-heels" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“head over heels” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tumbling upside down; somersaulting.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | head over heels |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/ |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “head over heels” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for head over heels is 15 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
head over heels doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Attested from the 14ᵗʰ century onwards, originally as heels over head, which better rendered the notion of things being upside down (head over heels is the standard state of being). The correct English form is head over heels, spelled H-E-A-D- -O-V-E-R- -H-E-E-L-S.
Definition
- 1Tumbling upside down; somersaulting.
- 2At top speed; frantically.
- 3Hopelessly; madly; to distraction; deeply; utterly.
Etymology
Attested from the 14ᵗʰ century onwards, originally as heels over head, which better rendered the notion of things being upside down (head over heels is the standard state of being).
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
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Using “head over heels”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-E-A-D- -O-V-E-R- -H-E-E-L-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/ (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.