hermit

/ˈhɝmɪt/

//ˈhɝmɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hermit” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,110. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,110
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hermit · hermit · English

hermit · rank #22,110 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,110
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hillsborough

Nearest frequency peer: Hillsborough (+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 “hermit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hermit” 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).

hermit vs heroin
67% similar
hermit vs heroic
67% similar
hermit vs hernia
67% similar

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

Key facts for hermit
PropertyValue
Headwordhermit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɝmɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,110
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hermit”

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).hermitlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Hillsborough” (#22,111), “Hasan” (#22,108), “Harmon” (#22,107). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hermit” is #22,110. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hermit (IPA /ˈhɝmɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,110 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 hermit, with forms such as "ehrmit", "hemrit", and "herimt". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "heroin", "heroic", "hernia", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hermite, heremite, eremite, from Old French eremite, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin eremita, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης (erēmítēs, “person of the desert”) from ἐρημία (erēmía, “desert, solitude”), from ἔρημος (érēmos) or ἐρῆμος (… The correct English form is hermit, spelled H-E-R-M-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite.
  2. 2
    A recluse; someone who lives alone and shuns human companionship.
  3. 3
    A spiced cookie made with molasses, raisins, and nuts.
  4. 4
    A hermit crab.
  5. 5
    Any in the subfamily Phaethornithinae of hummingbirds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Solitary the thrush, / The hermit withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements, / Sings by himself a song.
  2. Millie told him he sounded like some batty hermit who lived in a cave.

Etymology

From Middle English hermite, heremite, eremite, from Old French eremite, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin eremita, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης (erēmítēs, “person of the desert”) from ἐρημία (erēmía, “desert, solitude”), from ἔρημος (érēmos) or ἐρῆμος (erêmos, “uninhabited”) plus -ίτης (-ítēs, “one connected to, a member of”). Doublet of eremite. Displaced native Old English ānsetla.

This word in other languages

ermitaño(Español)ermite(Français)Einsiedler(Deutsch)eremita(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehrmit
  • hemrit
  • herimt
  • hermitt
  • hermmit
  • hermti
  • herrmit
  • hhermit
  • hremit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehrmit2hemrit2herimt2hermitt1hermmit1hermti2herrmit1hhermit1
Edit distance from "hermit"

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 "hermit"?
"hermit" is spelled H-E-R-M-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɝmɪt/.
What does "hermit" mean?
As a noun, "hermit" means: A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for religious reasons; an eremite.
What words are commonly confused with "hermit"?
"hermit" is commonly confused with "heroin", "heroic", "hernia". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hermit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hermit" is /ˈhɝmɪt/. 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 "hermit"?
From Middle English hermite, heremite, eremite, from Old French eremite, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin eremita, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης (erēmítēs, “person of the desert”) from ἐρημία (erēmía, “desert, solitude”), from ἔρημος (érēmos) o... 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 "hermit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Harmon#22,107Hutton#22,116gazing#22,093jingle#22,128

Similar misspelling depth

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

gallant9 variantslagging9 variantsfallacy9 variantsLevant9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list