# heifer

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhɛfə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #47,095

## Definitions
1. A young female cow, (particularly) one over one year old but which has not calved.
2. A wife.
3. An unattractive or unpleasant woman.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English heyfre, hayfre, heyfer, from Old English hēahfore, hēahfru, of disputed origin; see the Old English entry for more discussion.

## Easily confused with
- **heir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-heir)
- **hiker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-hiker)
- **Heine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-heine)
- **helper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-helper)
- **heller** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-heller)
- **Hester** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-hester)
- **herder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heifer-vs-herder)
- **header** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/header-vs-heifer)
- **heater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heater-vs-heifer)
- **healer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/healer-vs-heifer)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ehifer`, `hefier`, `heiefr`, `heiferr`, `heiffer`, `heifre`, `hheifer`, `hiefer`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/heifer