hickory

/ˈhɪkəɹiː/

//ˈhɪkəɹiː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hickory” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,781. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,781
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various deciduous hardwood trees of the genera Carya and Annamocarya, one species of which, Carya illinoinensis, is the source of pecan nuts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hickory · hickory · English

hickory · rank #24,781 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,781
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Henson

Nearest frequency peer: Henson (-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 “hickory”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hickory” 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).

hickory vs history
71% similar
hickory vs hickey
71% similar

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

Key facts for hickory
PropertyValue
Headwordhickory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɪkəɹiː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,781
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hickory”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hickorylands 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 “Henson” (#24,780), “hives” (#24,782), “headers” (#24,779). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hickory” is #24,781. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around hickory (IPA /ˈhɪkəɹiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,781 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hickory, with forms such as "hcikory", "hhickory", and "hicckory". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "history", "hickey", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: A shortening of pockerchicory/pokickery/pohickery, from Powhatan pawcohiccora. The correct English form is hickory, spelled H-I-C-K-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various deciduous hardwood trees of the genera Carya and Annamocarya, one species of which, Carya illinoinensis, is the source of pecan nuts.
  2. 2
    The wood of these trees.
  3. 3
    A coarse, durable cotton fabric.
  4. 4
    A club with a head made from hickory wood.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [H]e came across this young man sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump And said, "Boy, let me tell you what."
  2. The loggers wore hickory shirts.

Etymology

A shortening of pockerchicory/pokickery/pohickery, from Powhatan pawcohiccora.

This word in other languages

noyer blanc(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hcikory
  • hhickory
  • hicckory
  • hickkory
  • hickorry
  • hickoryy
  • hickoyr
  • hickroy
  • hicokry
  • hikcory
  • ihckory

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hcikory2hhickory1hicckory1hickkory1hickorry1hickoryy1hickoyr2hickroy2
Edit distance from "hickory"

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 "hickory"?
"hickory" is spelled H-I-C-K-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪkəɹiː/.
What does "hickory" mean?
As a noun, "hickory" means: Any of various deciduous hardwood trees of the genera Carya and Annamocarya, one species of which, Carya illinoinensis, is the source of pecan nuts.
What words are commonly confused with "hickory"?
"hickory" is commonly confused with "history", "hickey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hickory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hickory" is /ˈhɪkəɹiː/. 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 "hickory"?
A shortening of pockerchicory/pokickery/pohickery, from Powhatan pawcohiccora. 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 "hickory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

headers#24,779Hartman#24,777hangout#24,776grapple#24,768

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

fronted11 variantsfraught11 variantsMcKinney11 variantsminding11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list