hecto-
"hecto" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hecto-” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prefix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - hundred
Corpus desk
Index EN-hecto · hecto- · English
hecto- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "H" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hecto- |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prefix |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hecto-” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
hecto- is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
hecto- doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French hecto-, from Ancient Greek ἑκατόν (hekatón, “hundred”). Doublet of hecato- and centi-. The correct English form is hecto-, spelled H-E-C-T-O--.
Definition
- 1hundred
- 2In the International System of Units and other metric systems of units, multiplying the unit to which it is attached by 100. Symbol: h
Etymology
From French hecto-, from Ancient Greek ἑκατόν (hekatón, “hundred”). Doublet of hecato- and centi-.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.