heft

/hɛft/

//hɛft// noun

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

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

The verdict

“heft” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #39,349 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#39,349
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The feel of the weight of something; heaviness.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

heft vs her
50% similar
heft vs hit
50% similar
heft vs hot
50% similar

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

Key facts for heft
PropertyValue
Headwordheft
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɛft/
Letters4
Frequency rank#39,349
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “heft” 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). heft lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for heft is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hɛft/. Corpus data places it at rank #39,349 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for heft, with forms such as "ehft", "hefft", and "heftt". 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", "hit", "hot", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Late Middle English heft (“heaviness; something heavy, a weight”), from heven (“to lift, raise”) + -th (suffix denoting a condition, quality, state of being, etc., forming nouns), by analogy with the development of weft from weven (… The correct English form is heft, spelled H-E-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The feel of the weight of something; heaviness.
  2. 2
    The force exerted by an object due to gravitation; weight.
  3. 3
    Graveness, seriousness; gravity.
  4. 4
    Importance, influence; weight.
  5. 5
    The greater part of something; the bulk, the mass.
  6. 6
    An act of lifting; a lift.
  7. 7
    An act of heaving (lifting with difficulty); an instance of violent exertion or straining.

Etymology

The noun is derived from Late Middle English heft (“heaviness; something heavy, a weight”), from heven (“to lift, raise”) + -th (suffix denoting a condition, quality, state of being, etc., forming nouns), by analogy with the development of weft from weven (modern English weave), etc. (also compare words like cleft from cleave, and theft from thieve, where the development occurred in Old English or earlier languages). The English word is analysable as heave + -t (suffix forming nouns from verbs). The verb is probably derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

pesadez(Español)poids(Français)Schwere(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehft,hefft,heftt,hetf,hfet,hheft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehft2hefft1heftt1hetf2hfet2hheft1
Edit distance from "heft"

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 "heft"?
"heft" is spelled H-E-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hɛft/.
What does "heft" mean?
As a noun, "heft" means: The feel of the weight of something; heaviness.
What words are commonly confused with "heft"?
"heft" is commonly confused with "her", "hit", "hot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heft" is /hɛft/. 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 "heft"?
The noun is derived from Late Middle English heft (“heaviness; something heavy, a weight”), from heven (“to lift, raise”) + -th (suffix denoting a condition, quality, state of being, etc., forming nouns), by analogy with the development of weft fr... 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.

Using “heft”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-E-F-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hɛft/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “her” - see the side-by-side comparison. heft vs her
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list