heirloom

/ˈɛə.luːm/

//ˈɛə.luːm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“heirloom” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,683. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,683
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.

Corpus desk

Index EN-heirloom · heirloom · English

heirloom · rank #29,683 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,683
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hawley

Nearest frequency peer: Hawley (-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 “heirloom”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “heirloom” 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
Key facts for heirloom
PropertyValue
Headwordheirloom
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛə.luːm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#29,683
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “heirloom”

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).heirloomlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hawley” (#29,682), “hoisted” (#29,684), “hatchback” (#29,681). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “heirloom” is #29,683. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around heirloom (IPA /ˈɛə.luːm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,683 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for heirloom, with forms such as "ehirloom", "heilroom", and "heirlloom". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English heirlome (“heirloom”, literally “a tool or article passed to one's heirs”). By surface analysis, heir + loom. Displaced native Old English fæderġestrēon. The correct English form is heirloom, spelled H-E-I-R-L-O-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.
  2. 2
    An old crop variety that has been passed down through generations of farmers by seed saving and cultivation, in contrast to modern cultivars used in large-scale agriculture.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Morning rehearsal starts at eleven. Wheeler takes a taxi from the hotel to the venue, bringing his tuxedo and his violin with him. His violin is an heirloom, more than a hundred years old, and while he's touring it never leaves his sight. (His tuxedo is just a tuxedo.)
  2. My last trip to the market barely yielded enough unmealy heirlooms for a couple of salads.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English heirlome (“heirloom”, literally “a tool or article passed to one's heirs”). By surface analysis, heir + loom. Displaced native Old English fæderġestrēon.

This word in other languages

patrimonio(Español)patrimoine(Français)Erbstück(Deutsch)herança(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehirloom
  • heilroom
  • heirlloom
  • heirlom
  • heirlomo
  • heirloomm
  • heirolom
  • heirrloom
  • heriloom
  • hheirloom
  • hierloom

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehirloom2heilroom2heirlloom1heirlom1heirlomo2heirloomm1heirolom2heirrloom1
Edit distance from "heirloom"

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 "heirloom"?
"heirloom" is spelled H-E-I-R-L-O-O-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛə.luːm/.
What does "heirloom" mean?
As a noun, "heirloom" means: A valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.
What are common misspellings of "heirloom"?
Common misspellings include "ehirloom", "heilroom", "heirlloom", "heirlom", "heirlomo". The correct spelling is "heirloom".
How do you pronounce "heirloom"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heirloom" is /ˈɛə.luːm/. 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 "heirloom"?
Inherited from Middle English heirlome (“heirloom”, literally “a tool or article passed to one's heirs”). By surface analysis, heir + loom. Displaced native Old English fæderġestrēon. 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 "heirloom", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

huntsman#29,687gemstone#29,667Jeffries#29,703forester#29,661

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

hustler11 variantsgushing11 variantsGallipoli11 variantsJocelyn11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list