heather

/ˈhɛðɚ/

//ˈhɛðɚ// noun

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

"heather" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heather” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,676 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,676
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An evergreen plant, Calluna vulgaris, with spiky leaves and small purple, pink, or white flowers.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

heather vs Hester
57% similar
heather vs hither
71% similar
heather vs heavier
71% similar

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

Key facts for heather
PropertyValue
Headwordheather
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛðɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,676
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “heather” 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). heather lands here:

#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 heather is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɛðɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,676 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 heather, with forms such as "ehather", "haether", and "heahter". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Hester", "hither", "heavier", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hather, hathir, from Old English *hǣddre and hǣþ (“heather”), cognate with Scots hedder, hadder, heddir (“heather”), Saterland Frisian Heede (“heather”), West Frisian heide (“heather”), Dutch heide (“heather”), German Low German Heide, H… The correct English form is heather, spelled H-E-A-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evergreen plant, Calluna vulgaris, with spiky leaves and small purple, pink, or white flowers.
  2. 2
    A plant in the family Ericaceae.
  3. 3
    Various species of the genus Erica.
  4. 4
    Various species of the genus Cassiope.
  5. 5
    A purple colour with a tint of pink and blue.
  6. 6
    The use of interwoven yarns of mixed colours to produce flecks.

Etymology

From Middle English hather, hathir, from Old English *hǣddre and hǣþ (“heather”), cognate with Scots hedder, hadder, heddir (“heather”), Saterland Frisian Heede (“heather”), West Frisian heide (“heather”), Dutch heide (“heather”), German Low German Heide, Heid (“heather”), German Heide (“heather”).

Synonyms

ling

This word in other languages

brezo(Español)bruyère(Français)Besenheide(Deutsch)urze(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehather,haether,heahter,heatehr,heatherr,heathher,heathre,heatther,hetaher,hheather

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of heather - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ehather2haether2heahter2heatehr2heatherr1heathher1heathre2heatther1
Edit distance from "heather"

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 "heather"?
"heather" is spelled H-E-A-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛðɚ/.
What does "heather" mean?
As a noun, "heather" means: An evergreen plant, Calluna vulgaris, with spiky leaves and small purple, pink, or white flowers.
What words are commonly confused with "heather"?
"heather" is commonly confused with "Hester", "hither", "heavier". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heather"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heather" is /ˈhɛðɚ/. 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 "heather"?
From Middle English hather, hathir, from Old English *hǣddre and hǣþ (“heather”), cognate with Scots hedder, hadder, heddir (“heather”), Saterland Frisian Heede (“heather”), West Frisian heide (“heather”), Dutch heide (“heather”), German Low Germa... 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.

Using “heather”

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

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