heavy metal
/ˈhɛv.i ˌmɛt.əl/
"heavy-metal" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“heavy metal” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any metal that has a specific gravity greater than about 5, especially one, such as lead, that is poisonous and may be a hazard in the environment. (There are many different definitions of what cou...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | heavy metal |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhɛv.i ˌmɛt.əl/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “heavy metal” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
heavy metal is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɛv.i ˌmɛt.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
heavy metal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: According to the Oxford World's Classics edition of Anthony Trollope's Rachel Ray (1863), "big guns," as on a warship. The origin of the music genre sense is often disputed; it was used by William S. Burroughs in Soft Machine and Nova Express and various mu… The correct English form is heavy metal, spelled H-E-A-V-Y- -M-E-T-A-L.
Definition
- 1Any metal that has a specific gravity greater than about 5, especially one, such as lead, that is poisonous and may be a hazard in the environment. (There are many different definitions of what counts as a heavy metal; see Heavy metals for a discussion.)
- 2A genre descended from rock music, characterized by the use of emphatic drumbeats, highly amplified distortion, and overall loudness; often featuring extended instrumental solos and powerful vocals.
- 3A genre descended from rock music, characterized by the use of emphatic drumbeats, highly amplified distortion, and overall loudness; often featuring extended instrumental solos and powerful vocals.
- 4Guns or shot of large size.
- 5Great influence or power.
Etymology
According to the Oxford World's Classics edition of Anthony Trollope's Rachel Ray (1863), "big guns," as on a warship. The origin of the music genre sense is often disputed; it was used by William S. Burroughs in Soft Machine and Nova Express and various music critics claim to have coined it: Sandy Pearlman, Lester Bangs and Mike Saunders.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “heavy metal”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-E-A-V-Y- -M-E-T-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhɛv.i ˌmɛt.əl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.