heartbreak

/ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk/

//ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk// noun

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

"heartbreak" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heartbreak” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,378. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,378
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Overwhelming mental anguish or grief, especially that caused by loss or disappointment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-heartbreak · heartbreak · English

heartbreak · rank #17,378 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,378
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hayley

Nearest frequency peer: Hayley (-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 “heartbreak”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “heartbreak” 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).

heartbreak vs heartbreaker
83% similar
heartbreak vs heartbeat
80% similar

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

Key facts for heartbreak
PropertyValue
Headwordheartbreak
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#17,378
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “heartbreak”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).heartbreaklands 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 “Hayley” (#17,377), “heist” (#17,379), “Hanoi” (#17,376). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “heartbreak” is #17,378. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around heartbreak (IPA /ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,378 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Overwhelming mental anguish or grief, especially that caused by loss or disappointment.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for heartbreak, with forms such as "ehartbreak", "haertbreak", and "hearbtreak". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "heartbreaker", "heartbeat", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From heart + break. Compare heartache § Etymology. The correct English form is heartbreak, spelled H-E-A-R-T-B-R-E-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Overwhelming mental anguish or grief, especially that caused by loss or disappointment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. So while Ralph generally seems to inhabit a different, more glorious and joyful universe than everyone else here his yearning and heartbreak are eminently relateable. Ralph sometimes appears to be a magically demented sprite who has assumed the form of a boy, but he’s never been more poignantly, nakedly, movingly human than he is here.

Etymology

From heart + break. Compare heartache § Etymology.

This word in other languages

desamor(Español)crève-cœur(Français)Kummer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehartbreak
  • haertbreak
  • hearbtreak
  • hearrtbreak
  • heartbbreak
  • heartberak
  • heartbraek
  • heartbreakk
  • heartbreka
  • heartbrreak
  • heartrbeak
  • hearttbreak
  • heatrbreak
  • heratbreak
  • hheartbreak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehartbreak2haertbreak2hearbtreak2hearrtbreak1heartbbreak1heartberak2heartbraek2heartbreakk1
Edit distance from "heartbreak"

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 "heartbreak"?
"heartbreak" is spelled H-E-A-R-T-B-R-E-A-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk/.
What does "heartbreak" mean?
As a noun, "heartbreak" means: Overwhelming mental anguish or grief, especially that caused by loss or disappointment.
What words are commonly confused with "heartbreak"?
"heartbreak" is commonly confused with "heartbreaker", "heartbeat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heartbreak"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heartbreak" is /ˈhɑːt.bɹeɪk/. 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 "heartbreak"?
From heart + break. Compare heartache § Etymology. 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 "heartbreak", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grievances#17,374inhibition#17,388enormously#17,357Madagascar#17,405

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

dentistry15 variantsobligatory15 variantsrainforest15 variantsturnaround15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list