heady

/ˈhɛdi/

//ˈhɛdi// adj

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

"heady" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heady” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,593. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,593
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Intoxicating or stupefying.

Corpus desk

Index EN-heady · heady · English

heady · rank #31,593 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,593
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hauser

Nearest frequency peer: Hauser (-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 “heady”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “heady” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

heady vs hey
60% similar
heady vs hed
60% similar
heady vs held
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for heady
PropertyValue
Headwordheady
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɛdi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,593
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “heady”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).headylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hauser” (#31,592), “hasten” (#31,591), “Herbie” (#31,595). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “heady” is #31,593. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around heady (IPA /ˈhɛdi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,593 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for heady, with forms such as "ehady", "haedy", and "headdy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hey", "hed", "held", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hedi, hevedi, equivalent to head + -y. The correct English form is heady, spelled H-E-A-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Intoxicating or stupefying.
  2. 2
    Tending to upset the mind or senses.
  3. 3
    Exhilarating.
  4. 4
    Intellectual.
  5. 5
    Rash or impetuous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how heady appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The cocktail was a heady mixture of spirits.
  2. Lilac wine is sweet and heady, like my love / Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, like my love

Etymology

From Middle English hedi, hevedi, equivalent to head + -y.

This word in other languages

berauschend(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehady
  • haedy
  • headdy
  • headyy
  • heayd
  • heday
  • hheady

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of heady - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ehady2haedy2headdy1headyy1heayd2heday2hheady1
Edit distance from "heady"

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 "heady"?
"heady" is spelled H-E-A-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛdi/.
What does "heady" mean?
As an adjective, "heady" means: Intoxicating or stupefying.
What words are commonly confused with "heady"?
"heady" is commonly confused with "hey", "hed", "held". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heady"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heady" is /ˈhɛdi/. 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 "heady"?
From Middle English hedi, hevedi, equivalent to head + -y. 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 "heady", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Homme#31,600hotly#31,602Huber#31,603grits#31,579

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Geller7 variantsLayla7 variantsfarrow7 variantslayup7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list