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header

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "header", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "header" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "header" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

header is aEnglishnoun. It means: The upper portion of a page (or other) layout. Pronounced /ˈhɛdɚ/. It ranks #8,552 in English word frequency. Often confused with hear and heads.

Key facts for header
PropertyValue
Headwordheader
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛdɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,552
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of header in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for header is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɛdɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,552 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for header, with forms such as "ehader", "haeder", and "headder". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hear", "heads", "heady", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From head + -er. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is header, spelled H-E-A-D-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    The upper portion of a page (or other) layout.
  2. 2
    Text, or other visual information, used to mark off a quantity of text, often titling or summarizing it.
  3. 3
    Text, or other visual information, that goes at the top of a column of information in a table.
  4. 4
    A font, text style, or typesetting used for any of the above.
  5. 5
    The first part of a file or record that describes its contents.
  6. 6
    Clipping of header file.
  7. 7
    the first part of a packet or stream, often containing its address and descriptors.
  8. 8
    A brick that is laid sideways (on its largest face), for example at the top of a wall or within the brickwork, with its smallest side showing (oriented so that that side is wider than it is tall).
  9. 9
    A horizontal structural or finish piece over an opening.
  10. 10
    A machine that separates and gathers the heads of grain etc.
  11. 11
    The act of hitting the ball with the head.
  12. 12
    Someone who heads the ball.
  13. 13
    A headlong fall, jump or dive.
  14. 14
    A raised tank that supplies water at constant pressure, especially to a central heating and hot water system; a header tank.
  15. 15
    A pipe which connects several smaller pipes.
  16. 16
    The rodeo performer who drives the steer toward the heeler to be tied.
  17. 17
    One who puts a head on something.
  18. 18
    A headcase; a nutjob (mentally unbalanced, unpredictable person).

Etymology

From head + -er.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehader,haeder,headder,headerr,headre,heaedr,hedaer,hheader

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for header

Misspelling Variants of "header"

ehader6haeder6headder7headerr7headre6heaedr6hedaer6hheader7
Misspelling Variants of "header"

Frequency rank: #8,552 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "header"?
"header" is spelled H-E-A-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛdɚ/.
What does "header" mean?
As a noun, "header" means: The upper portion of a page (or other) layout.
What words are commonly confused with "header"?
"header" is commonly confused with "hear", "heads", "heady". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "header"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "header" is /ˈhɛdɚ/. 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 "header"?
From head + -er. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter H in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.