hearsay

/ˈhɪəseɪ/

//ˈhɪəseɪ// noun

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

"hearsay" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hearsay” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,491. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,491
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hearsay · hearsay · English

hearsay · rank #27,491 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,491
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH headway

Nearest frequency peer: headway (-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 “hearsay”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hearsay” 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).

hearsay vs hearty
71% similar
hearsay vs Hearst
57% similar
hearsay vs hearse
71% similar

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

Key facts for hearsay
PropertyValue
Headwordhearsay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɪəseɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#27,491
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hearsay”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hearsaylands 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 “headway” (#27,490), “Hershey” (#27,492), “HDR” (#27,489). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hearsay” is #27,491. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around hearsay (IPA /ˈhɪəseɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,491 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for hearsay, with forms such as "eharsay", "haersay", and "hearasy". 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. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "hearty", "Hearst", "hearse", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hyere-zigginge (1340), here sey (ca. 1438), from the phrase heren seien (“to hear [people] say”). Compare equally old Middle High German hœrsagen (14th c.), whence modern Hörensagen. The correct English form is hearsay, spelled H-E-A-R-S-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.
  2. 2
    Evidence based on the reports of others, which is normally inadmissible because it was not made under oath, rather than on personal knowledge.
  3. 3
    An out-of-court statement offered in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted (or the in-court testimony which recites such a statement), which is normally inadmissible (because it is not subject to cross-examination) unless it falls under one of a number of exceptions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. based on hearsay
  2. The story turned out to be nothing but hearsay.

Etymology

From Middle English hyere-zigginge (1340), here sey (ca. 1438), from the phrase heren seien (“to hear [people] say”). Compare equally old Middle High German hœrsagen (14th c.), whence modern Hörensagen.

Synonyms

gossipreportrumor

This word in other languages

rumores(Español)ouï-dire(Français)Hörensagen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eharsay
  • haersay
  • hearasy
  • hearrsay
  • hearsayy
  • hearssay
  • hearsya
  • heasray
  • herasay
  • hhearsay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eharsay2haersay2hearasy2hearrsay1hearsayy1hearssay1hearsya2heasray2
Edit distance from "hearsay"

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 "hearsay"?
"hearsay" is spelled H-E-A-R-S-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪəseɪ/.
What does "hearsay" mean?
As a noun, "hearsay" means: Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.
What words are commonly confused with "hearsay"?
"hearsay" is commonly confused with "hearty", "Hearst", "hearse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hearsay"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hearsay" is /ˈhɪəseɪ/. 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 "hearsay"?
From Middle English hyere-zigginge (1340), here sey (ca. 1438), from the phrase heren seien (“to hear [people] say”). Compare equally old Middle High German hœrsagen (14th c.), whence modern Hörensagen. 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 "hearsay", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

headway#27,490Hershey#27,492hideout#27,493hippies#27,494

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

forties10 variantsforgave10 variantsmagnate10 variantsmagneto10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list