heroin

/ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/

//ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“heroin” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,043. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,043
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium producing intense euphoria, classed as an illegal narcotic in most of the world.

Corpus desk

Index EN-heroin · heroin · English

heroin · rank #8,043 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,043
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hail

Nearest frequency peer: hail (-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 “heroin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “heroin” 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).

heroin vs Huron
50% similar
heroin vs heron
83% similar
heroin vs heroine
86% similar

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

Key facts for heroin
PropertyValue
Headwordheroin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,043
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “heroin”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “hail” (#8,042), “honda” (#8,044), “gratitude” (#8,041). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “heroin” is #8,043. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around heroin (IPA /ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,043 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium producing intense euphoria, classed as an illegal narcotic in most of the world.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for heroin, with forms such as "ehroin", "heorin", and "herion". 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, "Huron", "heron", "heroine", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Since the 1890s, from German Heroin, originally a trademark, from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”) and the suffix -in (“-ine”). Said to have been called thus to evoke quick and sweeping effect as a painkiller and cough suppressant (its original uses). Alt… The correct English form is heroin, spelled H-E-R-O-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium producing intense euphoria, classed as an illegal narcotic in most of the world.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wow, that heroin is in my blood / And the blood is in my head / Yeah, thank God that I'm good as dead / Ooohhh, thank your God that I'm not aware / And thank God that I just don't care / And I guess I just don't know
  2. I saw a real strange, weird object / Standing up talking to the people / And I found out it was heroin / That deadly drug that go in your veins

Etymology

Since the 1890s, from German Heroin, originally a trademark, from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”) and the suffix -in (“-ine”). Said to have been called thus to evoke quick and sweeping effect as a painkiller and cough suppressant (its original uses). Alternatively explained as a reference to the heroic school of medicine.

Synonyms

diacetylmorphinediamorphineBig HboybrownbujjdopejunkHhorseRonshitskagsmacktrainyam yambrown sugardog foodhenryheroinmuckmudronscagspidersugarwhiteboywhite lady

This word in other languages

heroína(Español)héroïne(Français)Heroin(Deutsch)cavalo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehroin
  • heorin
  • herion
  • heroinn
  • heroni
  • herroin
  • hheroin
  • hreoin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of heroin - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ehroin2heorin2herion2heroinn1heroni2herroin1hheroin1hreoin2
Edit distance from "heroin"

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 "heroin"?
"heroin" is spelled H-E-R-O-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/.
What does "heroin" mean?
As a noun, "heroin" means: A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium producing intense euphoria, classed as an illegal narcotic in most of the world.
What words are commonly confused with "heroin"?
"heroin" is commonly confused with "Huron", "heron", "heroine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heroin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heroin" is /ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/. 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 "heroin"?
Since the 1890s, from German Heroin, originally a trademark, from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”) and the suffix -in (“-ine”). Said to have been called thus to evoke quick and sweeping effect as a painkiller and cough suppressant (its original ... 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 "heroin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hooked#8,045garlic#8,039impose#8,047fierce#8,036

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

exceed8 variantsJoshua8 variantslounge8 variantspolite8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list