herald

/ˈhɛɹ.əld/

//ˈhɛɹ.əld// noun

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

"herald" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“herald” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,695. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,695
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A messenger, especially one bringing important news.

Corpus desk

Index EN-herald · herald · English

herald · rank #7,695 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,695
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH goin

Nearest frequency peer: goin (-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 “herald”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “herald” 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).

herald vs herd
67% similar
herald vs Herod
50% similar
herald vs Herat
50% similar

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

Key facts for herald
PropertyValue
Headwordherald
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛɹ.əld/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,695
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “herald”

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).heraldlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “goin” (#7,694), “hike” (#7,696), “frost” (#7,693). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “herald” is #7,695. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around herald (IPA /ˈhɛɹ.əld/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,695 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for herald, with forms such as "ehrald", "hearld", and "heradl". 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. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "herd", "Herod", "Herat", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin heraldus, from Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- … The correct English form is herald, spelled H-E-R-A-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
  2. 2
    A harbinger, giving signs of things to come.
  3. 3
    An official whose speciality is heraldry, especially one between the ranks of pursuivant and king-of-arms
  4. 4
    A moth of the species Scoliopteryx libatrix.
  5. 5
    A handbill consisting of an advertisement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The herald blew his trumpet and shouted that the King was dead.
  2. Daffodils are heralds of Spring.

Etymology

From Latin heraldus, from Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”) + *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong”). Doublet of Harold and Harald; compare Walter, which has these elements reversed.

This word in other languages

heraldo(Español)héraut(Français)Herold(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehrald
  • hearld
  • heradl
  • heraldd
  • heralld
  • herlad
  • herrald
  • hherald
  • hreald

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of herald - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ehrald2hearld2heradl2heraldd1heralld1herlad2herrald1hherald1
Edit distance from "herald"

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 "herald"?
"herald" is spelled H-E-R-A-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛɹ.əld/.
What does "herald" mean?
As a noun, "herald" means: A messenger, especially one bringing important news.
What words are commonly confused with "herald"?
"herald" is commonly confused with "herd", "Herod", "Herat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "herald"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "herald" is /ˈhɛɹ.əld/. 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 "herald"?
From Latin heraldus, from Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-Europ... 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 "herald", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hollow#7,697kissed#7,706locker#7,711doubts#7,677

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

execute9 variantsmetals9 variantsMunich9 variantspencil9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list