# heat

> English word · Noun · IPA /hiːt/ · frequency rank #1,456

## Definitions
1. Thermal energy.
2. The condition or quality of being hot.
3. An attribute of a spice that causes a burning sensation in the mouth.
4. A period of intensity, particularly of emotion.
5. An undesirable amount of attention.
6. A fastball.
7. A condition in which a mammal is aroused sexually or where it is especially fertile and therefore eager to mate.
8. A condition in which a mammal is aroused sexually or where it is especially fertile and therefore eager to mate.
9. A condition in which a mammal is aroused sexually or where it is especially fertile and therefore eager to mate.
10. A preliminary race, used to determine the participants in a final race.
11. A stage in a competition, not necessarily a sporting one; a round.
12. One cycle of bringing metal to maximum temperature and working it until it is too cool to work further.
13. A hot spell.
14. Heating system; a system that raises the temperature of a room or building.
15. The output of a heating system.
16. A violent action unintermitted; a single effort.
17. The police.
18. One or more firearms.
19. Stylish and valuable sneakers.
20. A negative reaction from the audience, especially as a heel (or bad character), or in general.

## Etymology
From Middle English hete, from Old English hǣtu, from Proto-West Germanic *haitī, from Proto-Germanic *haitį̄ (“heat”), from Proto-Indo-European *keHy- (“heat; hot”). Cognate with Scots hete (“heat”), Saterland Frisian Hatte (“heat”), Old High German heizī (“heat”). Related also to Dutch hitte (“heat”), German Hitze (“heat”), Swedish hetta (“heat”), Icelandic hiti (“heat”).

## Easily confused with
- **her** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-her)
- **hit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hit)
- **hot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hot)
- **hey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hey)
- **hes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hes)
- **hut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hut)
- **heh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-heh)
- **hen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hen)
- **hee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hee)
- **hem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hem)
- **hua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hua)
- **het** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-het)
- **hoa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hoa)
- **Hel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hel)
- **hep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hep)
- **HPA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hpa)
- **HRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hrt)
- **hed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hed)
- **HSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hsa)
- **hew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heat-vs-hew)

## Common misspellings (4)
`ehat`, `heatt`, `heta`, `hheat`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/heat