hiatus

/haɪˈeɪtəs/

//haɪˈeɪtəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hiatus” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,186. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,186
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A gap in a series, making it incomplete.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hiatus · hiatus · English

hiatus · rank #15,186 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,186
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hereditary

Nearest frequency peer: hereditary (-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 “hiatus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hiatus” 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).

hiatus vs hits
67% similar
hiatus vs hints
67% similar
hiatus vs hats
67% similar

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

Key facts for hiatus
PropertyValue
Headwordhiatus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/haɪˈeɪtəs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,186
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hiatus”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “hereditary” (#15,185), “homestead” (#15,187), “hailed” (#15,184). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hiatus” is #15,186. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around hiatus (IPA /haɪˈeɪtəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,186 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hiatus, with forms such as "haitus", "hhiatus", and "hiatsu". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "hits", "hints", "hats", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin hiātus (“opening”) (mid-16th century), from hiō (“stand open, yawn”). The correct English form is hiatus, spelled H-I-A-T-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gap in a series, making it incomplete.
  2. 2
    An interruption, break, pause or absence.
  3. 3
    An temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected.
  4. 4
    A gap in geological strata.
  5. 5
    An opening in an organ.
  6. 6
    A syllable break between two vowels, without an intervening consonant.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Even the mechanical engineer comes at last to an end of his figures, and must stand up, a practical man, face to face with the discrepancies of nature and the hiatuses of theory.
  2. The band decided to go on hiatus, citing creative differences.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin hiātus (“opening”) (mid-16th century), from hiō (“stand open, yawn”).

This word in other languages

pausa(Español)hiatus(Français)Lücke(Deutsch)hiato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • haitus
  • hhiatus
  • hiatsu
  • hiattus
  • hiatuss
  • hiauts
  • hitaus
  • ihatus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

haitus2hhiatus1hiatsu2hiattus1hiatuss1hiauts2hitaus2ihatus2
Edit distance from "hiatus"

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 "hiatus"?
"hiatus" is spelled H-I-A-T-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /haɪˈeɪtəs/.
What does "hiatus" mean?
As a noun, "hiatus" means: A gap in a series, making it incomplete.
What words are commonly confused with "hiatus"?
"hiatus" is commonly confused with "hits", "hints", "hats". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hiatus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hiatus" is /haɪˈeɪtəs/. 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 "hiatus"?
Learned borrowing from Latin hiātus (“opening”) (mid-16th century), from hiō (“stand open, yawn”). 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 "hiatus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hailed#15,184Lahore#15,205ledger#15,208lodged#15,211

Similar misspelling depth

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

Guinness8 variantserased8 variantsdiaper8 variantscling8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list