English Word Reference Free

herbert

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "herbert", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "herbert" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "herbert" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Herbert is aEnglishname. It means: A male given name from the Germanic languages, in modern use partly transferred back from the surname. Pronounced /ˈhɝbɚt/. It ranks #8,943 in English word frequency. Often confused with Hubert and herder.

Key facts for Herbert
PropertyValue
HeadwordHerbert
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechName
IPA/ˈhɝbɚt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,943
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Herbert in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Herbert is 7 letters long, classified as aname, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɝbɚt/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,943 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 11 documented wrong-spelling variants for Herbert, with forms such as "ehrbert", "hebrert", and "herbbert". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Hubert", "herder", "Hibbert", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French Herbert, from Frankish *Hariberht. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Herbert, spelled H-E-R-B-E-R-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from the Germanic languages, in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. 3
    A small town in North Otago, New Zealand.
  4. 4
    A rural locality in Litchfield Municipality, Northern Territory, Australia.
  5. 5
    A former government town in South Australia.
  6. 6
    A town in the Rural Municipality of Morse No. 165, Saskatchewan, Canada.
  7. 7
    An unincorporated community in Boone County, Illinois, United States.

Etymology

From Old French Herbert, from Frankish *Hariberht.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehrbert,hebrert,herbbert,herberrt,herbertt,herbetr,herbret,herebrt,herrbert,hherbert,hrebert

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Herbert

Misspelling Variants of "Herbert"

ehrbert7hebrert7herbbert8herberrt8herbertt8herbetr7herbret7herebrt7
Misspelling Variants of "Herbert"

Frequency rank: #8,943 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Herbert"?
"Herbert" is spelled H-E-R-B-E-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɝbɚt/.
What does "Herbert" mean?
As a name, "Herbert" means: A male given name from the Germanic languages, in modern use partly transferred back from the surname.
What words are commonly confused with "Herbert"?
"Herbert" is commonly confused with "Hubert", "herder", "Hibbert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Herbert"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Herbert" is /ˈhɝbɚt/. 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 "Herbert"?
From Old French Herbert, from Frankish *Hariberht. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter H in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.