headwind
/ˈhɛdˌwɪnd/
"headwind" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“headwind” is uncommon English (frequency #66,715 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #66,715
- frequency rank, English
- 2,646
- “H” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wind that blows directly against the course of a vehicle, like an aircraft, train, or ship.
Corpus desk
Index EN-headwind · headwind · English
headwind · rank #66,715 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #66,715
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,646
- PHOTO-FINISH hastening
Nearest frequency peer: hastening (-2 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.
Long-tail ranks near “headwind”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg
33,290 corpus weight
- hastening
hastening
33,288 corpus weight
- headwind
headwind
33,286 corpus weight
- Hertha
Hertha
33,284 corpus weight
- HGV
HGV
33,283 corpus weight
- Hitchin
Hitchin
33,281 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “headwind” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | headwind |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhɛdˌwɪnd/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #66,715 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “headwind” in English
Rare enough to double-check
headwind is uncommon English at frequency #66,715 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɛdˌwɪnd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
headwind doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *hedwind, from Old English hēafodwind, equivalent to head + wind. Cognate with Old Norse höfuðvindr. The correct English form is headwind, spelled H-E-A-D-W-I-N-D.
Definition
- 1A wind that blows directly against the course of a vehicle, like an aircraft, train, or ship.
- 2A strong force that impedes or reverses progress.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how headwind appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Domestic economic activity has been gaining traction in spite of formidable headwinds from external developments," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its monthly bulletin.
At the same time, Faludi, who is working on a new book about the headwinds feminism is facing, suggested that the movement itself has grown sectarian and insular.
Etymology
From Middle English *hedwind, from Old English hēafodwind, equivalent to head + wind. Cognate with Old Norse höfuðvindr.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "headwind", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).