henna

/hɛnə/

//hɛnə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“henna” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #35,332) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#35,332
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-henna · henna · English

henna · rank #35,332 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,332
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH helluva

Nearest frequency peer: helluva (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “henna”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “henna” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

henna vs Hera
40% similar
henna vs hewn
60% similar
henna vs henry
60% similar

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

Key facts for henna
PropertyValue
Headwordhenna
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɛnə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#35,332
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “henna”

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).hennalands 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 “helluva” (#35,331), “hexagon” (#35,333), “heighten” (#35,330). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “henna” is #35,332. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for henna is neighbouring look-alikes ("Hera", "hewn", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /hɛnə/. Frequency #35,332 among 2,646 “H” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for henna, with forms such as "ehnna", "hena", and "hhenna". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Hera", "hewn", "henry", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Arabic حِنَّاء (ḥinnāʔ), the name of the tree used to make the dye, probably from Middle Persian [script needed] (*hannāy-, “to smear, anoint”). The correct English form is henna, spelled H-E-N-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers.
  2. 2
    A flower of this plant.
  3. 3
    A reddish plant substance, prepared from the dried leaves of this plant, used for temporary tattoos and hair coloring. Hair colorings range from bright red to earth brown to near black.
  4. 4
    A rich reddish-brown colour.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The aroma given off by flowers has an aphrodisiac effect, especially on women. This is so particularly in the case of lilies of the valley, gardenia, frangipani, and henna.
  2. Among Arabs, it is believed that henna rubbed on the fingers, skull, and feet produces an aphrodisiac effect.

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic حِنَّاء (ḥinnāʔ), the name of the tree used to make the dye, probably from Middle Persian [script needed] (*hannāy-, “to smear, anoint”).

This word in other languages

alheña(Español)henné(Français)Henna(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehnna
  • hena
  • hhenna
  • hnena

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of henna - 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.

ehnna2hena1hhenna1hnena2
Edit distance from "henna"

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 "henna"?
"henna" is spelled H-E-N-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /hɛnə/.
What does "henna" mean?
As a noun, "henna" means: A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers.
What words are commonly confused with "henna"?
"henna" is commonly confused with "Hera", "hewn", "henry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "henna"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "henna" is /hɛnə/. 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 "henna"?
Borrowed from Arabic حِنَّاء (ḥinnāʔ), the name of the tree used to make the dye, probably from Middle Persian [script needed] (*hannāy-, “to smear, anoint”). 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 "henna", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hakim#35,323Indra#35,354laker#35,382Enron#35,280

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list