hedgerow

/ˈhɛd͡ʒɹəʊ/

//ˈhɛd͡ʒɹəʊ// noun

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

"hedgerow" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hedgerow” is uncommon English (frequency #73,256 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,256
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A row of closely planted bushes or trees forming a hedge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hedgerow · hedgerow · English

hedgerow · rank #73,256 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,256
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Highsmith

Nearest frequency peer: Highsmith (+5 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.

Long-tail ranks near “hedgerow”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hedgerow” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hedgerow
PropertyValue
Headwordhedgerow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛd͡ʒɹəʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#73,256
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hedgerow” in English

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).hedgerowfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Highsmith” (#73,261), “Hinch” (#73,262), “haft” (#73,249). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hedgerow” is #73,256. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hedgerow is uncommon English at frequency #73,256 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɛd͡ʒɹəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A row of closely planted bushes or trees forming a hedge.".

Zero misspellings are on record for hedgerow in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English heggerowe, heggerewe, heggerawe, from Old English *heċġrāw, *heċġrǣw (attested only as Old English heġerǣwe, heġerēwe (“hedgerow”)), equivalent to hedge + row. The correct English form is hedgerow, spelled H-E-D-G-E-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A row of closely planted bushes or trees forming a hedge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He had a suit of summer mufti, and a broad-brimmed blue beaver hat looped with leaves broken from the hedgerows in the lanes, and a Leander scarf tucked full of flowers: loosestrife, meadowrue, orchis, ragged-robin.
  2. If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now, it's just a spring clean for the may queen

Etymology

From Middle English heggerowe, heggerewe, heggerawe, from Old English *heċġrāw, *heċġrǣw (attested only as Old English heġerǣwe, heġerēwe (“hedgerow”)), equivalent to hedge + row.

This word in other languages

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

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 "hedgerow"?
"hedgerow" is spelled H-E-D-G-E-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛd͡ʒɹəʊ/.
What does "hedgerow" mean?
As a noun, "hedgerow" means: A row of closely planted bushes or trees forming a hedge.
How do you pronounce "hedgerow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hedgerow" is /ˈhɛd͡ʒɹəʊ/. 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 "hedgerow"?
From Middle English heggerowe, heggerewe, heggerawe, from Old English *heċġrāw, *heċġrǣw (attested only as Old English heġerǣwe, heġerēwe (“hedgerow”)), equivalent to hedge + row. 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 "hedgerow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grenache#73,238girlhood#73,225fusiform#73,210frittata#73,208

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list