hedge

/ˈhɛd͡ʒ/

//ˈhɛd͡ʒ// noun

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

"hedge" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hedge” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,554. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,554
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hedge · hedge · English

hedge · rank #10,554 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,554
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH HBO

Nearest frequency peer: HBO (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hedge”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hedge” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hedge vs hee
60% similar
hedge vs here
60% similar
hedge vs huge
60% similar

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

Key facts for hedge
PropertyValue
Headwordhedge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,554
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hedge”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hedgelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “HBO” (#10,553), “homosexuality” (#10,555), “groove” (#10,552). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hedge” is #10,554. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around hedge (IPA /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,554 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for hedge, with forms such as "ehdge", "hdege", and "heddge". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "hee", "here", "huge", 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 hegge, from Old English heċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *haggju, from Proto-Germanic *hagjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke. Doublet of hey (a choreographic figure) and quay. More at … The correct English form is hedge, spelled H-E-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden.
  2. 2
    A barrier (often consisting of a line of persons or objects) to protect someone or something from harm.
  3. 3
    A mound of earth, stone- or turf-faced, often topped with bushes, used as a fence between any two portions of land.
  4. 4
    A noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement.
  5. 5
    Contract or arrangement reducing one's exposure to risk (for example the risk of price movements or interest rate movements).
  6. 6
    With indication of a person's upbringing, or professional activities, taking place by the side of the road; being third-rate, poor, shoddy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hedge appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He trims the hedge once a week.
  2. But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at…

Etymology

From Middle English hegge, from Old English heċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *haggju, from Proto-Germanic *hagjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke. Doublet of hey (a choreographic figure) and quay. More at haw.

This word in other languages

seto(Español)haie(Français)Hecke(Deutsch)sebe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehdge
  • hdege
  • heddge
  • hedeg
  • hedgge
  • hegde
  • hhedge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hedge - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ehdge2hdege2heddge1hedeg2hedgge1hegde2hhedge1
Edit distance from "hedge"

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 "hedge"?
"hedge" is spelled H-E-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/.
What does "hedge" mean?
As a noun, "hedge" means: A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden.
What words are commonly confused with "hedge"?
"hedge" is commonly confused with "hee", "here", "huge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hedge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hedge" is /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/. 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 "hedge"?
From Middle English hegge, from Old English heċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *haggju, from Proto-Germanic *hagjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke. Doublet of hey (a choreographic figure) and quay... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hedge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gavin#10,551joker#10,567Jonas#10,568laden#10,571

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

groove7 variantskisses7 variantsDoyle7 variantsPayne7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list