here

/hɪə̯/

//hɪə̯// adv

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

"here" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“here” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #111 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#111
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

here vs HR
0% similar
here vs hey
50% similar
here vs hes
50% similar

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

Key facts for here
PropertyValue
Headwordhere
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/hɪə̯/
Letters4
Frequency rank#111
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “here” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for here is 4 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hɪə̯/. Corpus data places it at rank #111 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for here, with forms such as "ehre", "heer", and "herre". 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, "HR", "hey", "hes", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English her, from Old English hēr (“at this place”), from Proto-West Germanic *hēr, from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r, from *hiz + *-r, from Proto-Indo-European *kís, from *ḱe + *ís. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian hier, West Frisian hjir, Dutch… The correct English form is here, spelled H-E-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  2. 2
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  3. 3
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  4. 4
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  5. 5
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  6. 6
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  7. 7
    In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
  8. 8
    To this place; used in place of the literary or archaic hither.

Etymology

From Middle English her, from Old English hēr (“at this place”), from Proto-West Germanic *hēr, from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r, from *hiz + *-r, from Proto-Indo-European *kís, from *ḱe + *ís. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian hier, West Frisian hjir, Dutch hier, German Low German hier, German hier, Danish her, Swedish här, Norwegian her, Faroese her, Icelandic hér. Also related to the English pronoun he (“this/that person”), and the words hither (“to this place”) and hence (“from this place”).

This word in other languages

aquí(Español)ici(Français)hier(Deutsch)aqui(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehre,heer,herre,hhere,hree

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehre2heer2herre1hhere1hree2
Edit distance from "here"

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 "here"?
"here" is spelled H-E-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /hɪə̯/.
What does "here" mean?
As an adverb, "here" means: In, on, or at this place (a place perceived to be close to the speaker); compare there.
What words are commonly confused with "here"?
"here" is commonly confused with "HR", "hey", "hes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "here"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "here" is /hɪə̯/. 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 "here"?
From Middle English her, from Old English hēr (“at this place”), from Proto-West Germanic *hēr, from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r, from *hiz + *-r, from Proto-Indo-European *kís, from *ḱe + *ís. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian hier, West Frisian h... 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.

Using “here”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-E-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hɪə̯/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “HR” - see the side-by-side comparison. here vs HR
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list