headmistress

noun

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

"headmistress" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“headmistress” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,691. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,691
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A female headteacher.

Corpus desk

Index EN-headmistress · headmistress · English

headmistress · rank #42,691 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,691
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH haughty

Nearest frequency peer: haughty (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “headmistress”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “headmistress” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for headmistress
PropertyValue
Headwordheadmistress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Frequency rank#42,691
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “headmistress”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).headmistresslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “haughty” (#42,690), “headteacher” (#42,692), “hangman” (#42,688). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “headmistress” is #42,691. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around headmistress, anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,691 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A female headteacher.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for headmistress, with forms such as "ehadmistress", "haedmistress", and "headdmistress". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Compound of head + mistress. The correct English form is headmistress, spelled H-E-A-D-M-I-S-T-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female headteacher.

Etymology

Compound of head + mistress.

This word in other languages

directrice(Français)Schulleiterin(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehadmistress
  • haedmistress
  • headdmistress
  • headimstress
  • headmisrtess
  • headmisstress
  • headmisterss
  • headmistres
  • headmistrress
  • headmistrses
  • headmisttress
  • headmitsress
  • headmmistress
  • headmsitress
  • heamdistress
  • hedamistress
  • hheadmistress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of headmistress - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ehadmistress2haedmistress2headdmistress1headimstress2headmisrtess2headmisstress1headmisterss2headmistres1
Edit distance from "headmistress"

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 "headmistress"?
"headmistress" is spelled H-E-A-D-M-I-S-T-R-E-S-S.
What does "headmistress" mean?
As a noun, "headmistress" means: A female headteacher.
What are common misspellings of "headmistress"?
Common misspellings include "ehadmistress", "haedmistress", "headdmistress", "headimstress", "headmisrtess". The correct spelling is "headmistress".
What is the origin of the word "headmistress"?
Compound of head + mistress. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "headmistress", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hypoglycemia#42,704immeasurably#42,707invulnerable#42,714freestanding#42,653

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

horseradish17 variantsgoaltending17 variantslogarithmic17 variantsNorthumbria17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list