heathen

Name: heathen, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈhiːðən/

//ˈhiːðən// adj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“heathen” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,405 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#25,405
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not adhering to an Abrahamic religion; pagan.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

heathen vs heaven

71% similar

heathen vs Heaton

57% similar

heathen vs heather

86% similar

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

Key facts for heathen
Property	Value
Headword	heathen
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈhiːðən/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#25,405
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	7
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “heathen” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). heathen lands here:

#25,405

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for heathen is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhiːðən/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,405 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for heathen, with forms such as "ehathen", "haethen", and "heahten". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "heaven", "Heaton", "heather", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hethen, from Old English hǣþen, from Proto-West Germanic *haiþin, from Proto-Germanic *haiþīnaz (“heathen, pagan”, adjective), equivalent to heath (“heathland”) + -en. Cognate with West Frisian heiden, Dutch heiden, Middle High German he… The correct English form is heathen, spelled H-E-A-T-H-E-N.

Definition

1
Not adhering to an Abrahamic religion; pagan.
2
Uncultured; uncivilized; savage; barbarian.
3
Alternative letter-case form of Heathen (pertaining or adhering to the Germanic neo-pagan faith Heathenry).

Etymology

From Middle English hethen, from Old English hǣþen, from Proto-West Germanic *haiþin, from Proto-Germanic *haiþīnaz (“heathen, pagan”, adjective), equivalent to heath (“heathland”) + -en. Cognate with West Frisian heiden, Dutch heiden, Middle High German heiden, German Heiden, German Heide, Swedish heden, Danish hedensk (from heden+sk), Icelandic heiðinn. See also Proto-Germanic *haiduz, Old Norse heiðr (honour, bright, moor), Icelandic heiður (honour).

This word in other languages

pagano(Español)païen(Français)heidnisch(Deutsch)pagão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehathen,haethen,heahten,heatehn,heathenn,heathhen,heathne,heatthen,hetahen,hheathen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "heathen"

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 "heathen"?

"heathen" is spelled H-E-A-T-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhiːðən/.

What does "heathen" mean?

As an adjective, "heathen" means: Not adhering to an Abrahamic religion; pagan.

What words are commonly confused with "heathen"?

"heathen" is commonly confused with "heaven", "Heaton", "heather". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "heathen"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heathen" is /ˈhiːðən/. 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 "heathen"?

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 “heathen”

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

The one correct English spelling is H-E-A-T-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈhiːðən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “heaven” - see the side-by-side comparison. heathen vs heaven
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.