heroine

/ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/

//ˈhɪɹoʊɪn// noun

"heroine" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heroine” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,337. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,337
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female hero.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

heroine vs heron
71% similar
heroine vs herring
71% similar
heroine vs heroism
71% similar

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

Key facts for heroine
PropertyValue
Headwordheroine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,337
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “heroine” 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). heroine lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around heroine (IPA /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,337 among 23,837 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for heroine, with forms such as "ehroine", "heorine", and "herione". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "heron", "herring", "heroism", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin hērōīna, from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine (suffix forming feminine nouns). * English from 1587. The sense of "female lead character" is from … The correct English form is heroine, spelled H-E-R-O-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female hero.
  2. 2
    A female lead character.

Etymology

From Latin hērōīna, from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine (suffix forming feminine nouns). * English from 1587. The sense of "female lead character" is from 1715.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehroine
  • heorine
  • herione
  • heroien
  • heroinne
  • heronie
  • herroine
  • hheroine
  • hreoine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehroine2heorine2herione2heroien2heroinne1heronie2herroine1hheroine1
Edit distance from "heroine"

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 "heroine"?
"heroine" is spelled H-E-R-O-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/.
What does "heroine" mean?
As a noun, "heroine" means: A female hero.
What words are commonly confused with "heroine"?
"heroine" is commonly confused with "heron", "herring", "heroism". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heroine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heroine" is /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/. 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 "heroine"?
From Latin hērōīna, from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine (suffix forming feminine nouns). * English from 1587. The sense of "female lead character... 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 “heroine”

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

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

Same frequency band

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