hemlock

/ˈhɛmˌlɒk/

//ˈhɛmˌlɒk// noun

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

"hemlock" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hemlock” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,521. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,521
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the poisonous umbelliferous plants, of the genera

Corpus desk

Index EN-hemlock · hemlock · English

hemlock · rank #34,521 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #34,521
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heathens

Nearest frequency peer: heathens (-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 “hemlock”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hemlock” 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).

hemlock vs hammock
71% similar

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

Key facts for hemlock
PropertyValue
Headwordhemlock
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛmˌlɒk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#34,521
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hemlock”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hemlocklands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “heathens” (#34,520), “hearn” (#34,519), “hep” (#34,523). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hemlock” is #34,521. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around hemlock (IPA /ˈhɛmˌlɒk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,521 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hemlock, with forms such as "ehmlock", "helmock", and "hemlcok". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "hammock", 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 hemlok, hemeluc, from Old English hemlīc, hymlīc m and hymlīce f (“hemlock, bryony, convolvulus”), of uncertain origin. speculative etymology Compare Old English hymele (“hop-vine, hops”), Old English humele (“bryony, widerton, hair moss… The correct English form is hemlock, spelled H-E-M-L-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the poisonous umbelliferous plants, of the genera
  2. 2
    Any of the poisonous umbelliferous plants, of the genera
  3. 3
    Poison obtained from these Conium and Cicuta plants.
  4. 4
    Any of several coniferous trees, of the genus Tsuga, that grow in North America; the wood of such trees.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Have a tree or two the witches particularly like, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly, yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.
  2. In the Tyrol, on May Day, it was the custom to smoke out witches by burning bundles of black and red spotted hemlock. In the eighteenth century hemlock was used for treating cancer, syphilis, and ulcers.

Etymology

From Middle English hemlok, hemeluc, from Old English hemlīc, hymlīc m and hymlīce f (“hemlock, bryony, convolvulus”), of uncertain origin. speculative etymology Compare Old English hymele (“hop-vine, hops”), Old English humele (“bryony, widerton, hair moss, gold-hair, morning glory”), Danish and Swedish humle (“hops”), Icelandic humall (“hops”). Perhaps from Scythian, from Proto-Iranian *háwHmah (“ephedra; juice”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sáwHmas from Proto-Indo-European *sewh₁- (“to press out, extract”). ;cognates * (from Sarmato-Scythian *haumala) Ossetian хумӕллӕг (xumællæg, “hops”) * (from Sarmato-Scythian *hauma) Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬊𐬨𐬀 (haoma), Baluchi [script needed] (hum), Persian هوم (hôm)) * (from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma) Sanskrit सोम (soma)) More at suck.

Synonyms

devil's breaddevil's porridgeherb bennetpoison hemlockpoison parsleyConium maculatumConium chaerophylloidesbeaver poisoncowbanemusquash rootpoison parsnipspotted corobanewater hemlock

This word in other languages

cicuta(Español)ciguë(Français)Schierling(Deutsch)cicuta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehmlock
  • helmock
  • hemlcok
  • hemllock
  • hemlocck
  • hemlockk
  • hemlokc
  • hemmlock
  • hemolck
  • hhemlock
  • hmelock

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hemlock - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ehmlock2helmock2hemlcok2hemllock1hemlocck1hemlockk1hemlokc2hemmlock1
Edit distance from "hemlock"

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 "hemlock"?
"hemlock" is spelled H-E-M-L-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛmˌlɒk/.
What does "hemlock" mean?
As a noun, "hemlock" means: Any of the poisonous umbelliferous plants, of the genera
What words are commonly confused with "hemlock"?
"hemlock" is commonly confused with "hammock". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hemlock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hemlock" is /ˈhɛmˌlɒk/. 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 "hemlock"?
From Middle English hemlok, hemeluc, from Old English hemlīc, hymlīc m and hymlīce f (“hemlock, bryony, convolvulus”), of uncertain origin. speculative etymology Compare Old English hymele (“hop-vine, hops”), Old English humele (“bryony, widerton,... 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 "hemlock", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Harwood#34,514Gleason#34,506Gilmour#34,503Garrick#34,498

Similar misspelling depth

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

headgear11 variantsfintech11 variantsMarston11 variantsmishaps11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list