heart attack

noun

"heart-attack" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heart attack” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An acute myocardial infarction, sometimes fatal, caused by the sudden occurrence of coronary thrombosis, which obstructs the blood supply to the heart and leads to necrosis of heart muscle tissue.

Key facts for heart attack
PropertyValue
Headwordheart attack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “heart attack” sits in English frequency

heart attack falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for heart attack is 12 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for heart attack in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is heart attack, spelled H-E-A-R-T- -A-T-T-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An acute myocardial infarction, sometimes fatal, caused by the sudden occurrence of coronary thrombosis, which obstructs the blood supply to the heart and leads to necrosis of heart muscle tissue.
  2. 2
    A major fright.
  3. 3
    Death or failure.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "heart attack"?
"heart attack" is spelled H-E-A-R-T- -A-T-T-A-C-K.
What does "heart attack" mean?
As a noun, "heart attack" means: An acute myocardial infarction, sometimes fatal, caused by the sudden occurrence of coronary thrombosis, which obstructs the blood supply to the heart and leads to necrosis of heart muscle tissue.
What language does "heart attack" come from?
"heart attack" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “heart attack”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-E-A-R-T- -A-T-T-A-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list