heel

/hiːl/

//hiːl// noun

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

"heel" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heel” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #9,052) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#9,052
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.

Corpus desk

Index EN-heel · heel · English

heel · rank #9,052 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,052
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hating

Nearest frequency peer: hating (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “heel”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “heel” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

heel vs her
50% similar
heel vs hey
50% similar
heel vs hes
50% similar

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

Key facts for heel
PropertyValue
Headwordheel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hiːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,052
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “heel” 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). heel lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for heel is neighbouring look-alikes ("her", "hey", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /hiːl/. Frequency #9,052 among 2,646 “H” headwords. 23 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for heel, with forms such as "ehel", "heell", and "hele". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "her", "hey", "hes", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Du… The correct English form is heel, spelled H-E-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
  2. 2
    The part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel.
  3. 3
    The rear part of a sock or similar covering for the foot.
  4. 4
    The part of the palm of a hand closest to the wrist.
  5. 5
    A high-heeled shoe.
  6. 6
    The back, upper part of the stock.
  7. 7
    The thickening of the neck of a stringed instrument where it attaches to the body.
  8. 8
    The last or lowest part of anything.
  9. 9
    A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.
  10. 10
    The base of a bun sliced in half lengthwise.
  11. 11
    A contemptible, unscrupulous, inconsiderate, or thoughtless person.
  12. 12
    A headlining wrestler regarded as a "bad guy," whose ring persona embodies villainous or reprehensible traits and demonstrates characteristics of a braggart and a bully.
  13. 13
    The cards set aside for later use in a patience or solitaire game.
  14. 14
    Anything resembling a human heel in shape; a protuberance; a knob.
  15. 15
    The lower end of a timber in a frame, as a post or rafter.
  16. 16
    The obtuse angle of the lower end of a rafter set sloping.
  17. 17
    A cyma reversa.
  18. 18
    The short side of an angled cut.
  19. 19
    The part of a club head's face nearest the shaft.
  20. 20
    The lower end of the bit (cutting edge) of an axehead, as opposed to the toe (upper end).
  21. 21
    The part of a carding machine's flat nearest the cylinder.
  22. 22
    The junction between the keel and the stempost of a vessel; an angular wooden join connecting the two.
  23. 23
    Material stored in a smelting furnace between batches

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He [the stag] calls to mind his strength and then his speed, / His winged heels and then his armed head.
  2. He drove the heel of his hand into the man's nose.

Etymology

From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

Synonyms

bootbuttcrustenderknob-endoutsider

Antonyms

babyfacetoe

This word in other languages

talón(Español)talon(Français)Ferse(Deutsch)salto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehel
  • heell
  • hele
  • hheel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of heel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ehel2heell1hele2hheel1
Edit distance from "heel"

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.

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 September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "heel"?
"heel" is spelled H-E-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /hiːl/.
What does "heel" mean?
As a noun, "heel" means: The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
What words are commonly confused with "heel"?
"heel" is commonly confused with "her", "hey", "hes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heel" is /hiːl/. 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 "heel"?
From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisi... 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 "heel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

envy#9,040Nash#9,071Dems#9,032yell#9,008

What to do next

You've looked up "heel". Here's where to go from here.

  • "heel" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "her". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #9,052 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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