hench

/hɛnt͡ʃ/

//hɛnt͡ʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hench” is uncommon English (frequency #89,450 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,450
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The narrow side of chimney stack, a haunch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hench · hench · English

hench · rank #89,450 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,450
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hensel

Nearest frequency peer: Hensel (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “hench”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hench” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hench
PropertyValue
Headwordhench
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɛnt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#89,450
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hench” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Hensel” (#89,451), “Herakles” (#89,453), “Hef” (#89,446). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hench” is #89,450. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hench is uncommon English at frequency #89,450 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /hɛnt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hench, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variant of haunch. The correct English form is hench, spelled H-E-N-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The narrow side of chimney stack, a haunch.
  2. 2
    The side of an arch from the topmost part (crown) to the bottommost part (impost).
  3. 3
    A limp; lameness.

Etymology

Variant of haunch.

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 "hench"?
"hench" is spelled H-E-N-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /hɛnt͡ʃ/.
What does "hench" mean?
As a noun, "hench" means: The narrow side of chimney stack, a haunch.
How do you pronounce "hench"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hench" is /hɛnt͡ʃ/. 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 "hench"?
Variant of haunch. 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 "hench", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hullo#89,470guyot#89,424Jayce#89,500Gagan#89,391

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list