hefty

/ˈhɛfti/

//ˈhɛfti// adj

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

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

The verdict

“hefty” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,096. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,096
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With heft; heavy, strong, vigorous, mighty, impressive

Corpus desk

Index EN-hefty · hefty · English

hefty · rank #18,096 · 8 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,096
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hayward

Nearest frequency peer: hayward (-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 “hefty”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hefty” 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).

hefty vs hey
60% similar
hefty vs het
60% similar
hefty vs henry
60% similar

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

Key facts for hefty
PropertyValue
Headwordhefty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɛfti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,096
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hefty”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).heftylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “hayward” (#18,095), “Helsinki” (#18,097), “herbal” (#18,098). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hefty” is #18,096. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around hefty (IPA /ˈhɛfti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,096 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hefty, with forms such as "ehfty", "heffty", and "heftty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "hey", "het", "henry", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 19th century. From heft (“weight”) + -y. The similarity with German heftig (“vigorous, violent, intense”) is apparently coincidental. From the German are Dutch, Danish, Norwegian heftig, Swedish häftig. The correct English form is hefty, spelled H-E-F-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    With heft; heavy, strong, vigorous, mighty, impressive
  2. 2
    Strong; bulky.
  3. 3
    Possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful; powerfully or heavily built.
  4. 4
    Heavy, weighing a lot.
  5. 5
    Large, healthy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He can throw a hefty punch.
  2. The Remove dormitory echoed to the old, familiar sound of Bunter's hefty snore.

Etymology

19th century. From heft (“weight”) + -y. The similarity with German heftig (“vigorous, violent, intense”) is apparently coincidental. From the German are Dutch, Danish, Norwegian heftig, Swedish häftig.

This word in other languages

pesado(Español)lourd(Français)schwer(Deutsch)pesado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehfty
  • heffty
  • heftty
  • heftyy
  • hefyt
  • hetfy
  • hfety
  • hhefty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehfty2heffty1heftty1heftyy1hefyt2hetfy2hfety2hhefty1
Edit distance from "hefty"

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 "hefty"?
"hefty" is spelled H-E-F-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛfti/.
What does "hefty" mean?
As an adjective, "hefty" means: With heft; heavy, strong, vigorous, mighty, impressive
What words are commonly confused with "hefty"?
"hefty" is commonly confused with "hey", "het", "henry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hefty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hefty" is /ˈhɛfti/. 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 "hefty"?
19th century. From heft (“weight”) + -y. The similarity with German heftig (“vigorous, violent, intense”) is apparently coincidental. From the German are Dutch, Danish, Norwegian heftig, Swedish häftig. 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 "hefty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

glare#18,088exert#18,073leaps#18,119Leroy#18,122

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

fleece8 variantsfeudal8 variantslattice8 variantscoyote8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list