hearth

/hɑːθ/

//hɑːθ// noun

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

"hearth" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hearth” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,404. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,404
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combinatio...

Corpus desk

Index EN-hearth · hearth · English

hearth · rank #25,404 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,404
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heathen

Nearest frequency peer: heathen (+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 “hearth”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hearth” 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).

hearth vs heat
67% similar
hearth vs heath
83% similar
hearth vs heats
67% similar

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

Key facts for hearth
PropertyValue
Headwordhearth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɑːθ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,404
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hearth”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hearthlands 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 “heathen” (#25,405), “haw” (#25,402), “hemorrhage” (#25,406). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hearth” is #25,404. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hearth (IPA /hɑːθ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,404 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hearth, with forms such as "eharth", "haerth", and "hearht". 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, "heat", "heath", "heats", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English herth, herthe, from Old English heorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *herþ, from Proto-Germanic *herþaz, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“heat; fire”). Cognate with West Frisian hurd, Dutch haard, German Herd, Swedish härd. The correct English form is hearth, spelled H-E-A-R-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos, fireplace, oven, smoke hood, or chimney.
  2. 2
    A hearthstone, either as standalone or as the floor of an enclosed fireplace or oven.
  3. 3
    A fireplace: an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire may be built.
  4. 4
    The lowest part of a metallurgical furnace.
  5. 5
    A brazier, chafing dish, or firebox.
  6. 6
    Home or family life.
  7. 7
    A household or group in some forms of the modern pagan faith Heathenry.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For by the hearth the children sit ⁠Cold in that atmosphere of Death, ⁠And scarce endure to draw the breath, Or like to noiseless phantoms flit: […]
  2. cooking on an open hearth

Etymology

From Middle English herth, herthe, from Old English heorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *herþ, from Proto-Germanic *herþaz, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“heat; fire”). Cognate with West Frisian hurd, Dutch haard, German Herd, Swedish härd.

This word in other languages

hogar(Español)âtre(Français)Feuerstelle(Deutsch)lar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eharth
  • haerth
  • hearht
  • hearrth
  • hearthh
  • heartth
  • heatrh
  • herath
  • hhearth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eharth2haerth2hearht2hearrth1hearthh1heartth1heatrh2herath2
Edit distance from "hearth"

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 "hearth"?
"hearth" is spelled H-E-A-R-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /hɑːθ/.
What does "hearth" mean?
As a noun, "hearth" means: The place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combinatio...
What words are commonly confused with "hearth"?
"hearth" is commonly confused with "heat", "heath", "heats". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hearth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hearth" is /hɑːθ/. 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 "hearth"?
From Middle English herth, herthe, from Old English heorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *herþ, from Proto-Germanic *herþaz, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“heat; fire”). Cognate with West Frisian hurd, Dutch haard, German Herd, Swedish härd. 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 "hearth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grille#25,396Giroud#25,392gambit#25,391footer#25,389

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Landon9 variantsDjango9 variantsdispel9 variantslivery9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list