headquarters
/ˌhɛdˈkwɔː.təz/
"headquarters" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“headquarters” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,885 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #3,885
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The military installation from which troops are commanded and orders are issued; the military unit consisting of a commander and his support staff.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | headquarters |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌhɛdˈkwɔː.təz/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #3,885 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “headquarters” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for headquarters is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌhɛdˈkwɔː.təz/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,885 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for headquarters, with forms such as "ehadquarters", "haedquarters", and "headdquarters". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From head + quarters. The correct English form is headquarters, spelled H-E-A-D-Q-U-A-R-T-E-R-S.
Definition
- 1The military installation from which troops are commanded and orders are issued; the military unit consisting of a commander and his support staff.
- 2The center of an organization's operations or administration.
- 3A place of concentrated activity or influence.
Etymology
From head + quarters.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ehadquarters,haedquarters,headdquarters,headqaurters,headqquarters,headquaretrs,headquarrters,headquarterrs,headquarterss,headquartesr,headquartres,headquartters,headquatrers,headquraters,headuqarters,heaqduarters,hedaquarters,hheadquarters
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of headquarters - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "headquarters"?
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Using “headquarters”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-E-A-D-Q-U-A-R-T-E-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌhɛdˈkwɔː.təz/ (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.