# herb

> English word · Noun · IPA /hɜːb/ · frequency rank #10,060

## Definitions
1. Any green, leafy plant, or parts thereof, used to flavour or season food.
2. A plant whose roots, leaves or seeds, etc. are used in medicine.
3. Cannabis.
4. A plant whose stem is not woody and does not persist beyond each growing season
5. Grass; herbage.
6. (always with pronounced /h/) A lame or uncool person.

## Etymology
From Middle English herbe, erbe, from Old French erbe (French herbe), from Latin herba. Initial h was restored to the spelling in the 15th century on the basis of Latin, but it remained mute until the 19th century and still is for many speakers. Doublet of yerba.

## Easily confused with
- **HR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hr)
- **hey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hey)
- **hub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hub)
- **hes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hes)
- **het** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-het)
- **HRC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hrc)
- **Hur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hur)
- **HRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hrt)
- **hob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hob)
- **hrm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hrm)
- **hor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hor)
- **hew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hew)
- **HRW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hrw)
- **here** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-here)
- **hurt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hurt)
- **hero** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hero)
- **hire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hire)
- **horn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-horn)
- **hers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-hers)
- **herd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/herb-vs-herd)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ehrb`, `hebr`, `herbb`, `herrb`, `hherb`, `hreb`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/herb