hideous

/ˈhɪd.i.əs/

//ˈhɪd.i.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“hideous” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,042. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,042
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Extremely or shockingly ugly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hideous · hideous · English

hideous · rank #16,042 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,042
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heed

Nearest frequency peer: heed (-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 “hideous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hideous” 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).

hideous vs hides
71% similar
hideous vs hideout
86% similar
hideous vs Hideo
57% similar

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

Key facts for hideous
PropertyValue
Headwordhideous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɪd.i.əs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#16,042
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hideous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hideouslands 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 “heed” (#16,041), “hamburger” (#16,040), “hoops” (#16,044). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hideous” is #16,042. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hideous (IPA /ˈhɪd.i.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,042 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hideous, with forms such as "hdieous", "hhideous", and "hiddeous". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "hides", "hideout", "Hideo", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, hydus (“that which inspires terror”), from earlier hisdos, from Old French hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Proto-West Germanic *agisiþu (“h… The correct English form is hideous, spelled H-I-D-E-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Extremely or shockingly ugly.
  2. 2
    Having a very unpleasant or frightening sound.
  3. 3
    Hateful; shocking.
  4. 4
    Morally offensive; shocking; detestable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I’m sorry to break it to you, but your dress looks truly hideous.
  2. the Duke's army departed unmolested : but the highway along which he retired presented a piteous and hideous spectacle.

Etymology

From Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, hydus (“that which inspires terror”), from earlier hisdos, from Old French hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Proto-West Germanic *agisiþu (“horror, terror”), from Proto-West Germanic *agisōn (“to frighten, terrorise”), from Proto-Germanic *agaz (“terror, fear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʰ- (“to frighten”). Cognate with Old High German egisa, egidī (“horror”), Old English egesa (“fear, dread”), Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 (agis, “fear, terror”). Alternative etymology cites possible derivation from Latin hispidosus (“rugged”), from hispidus (“rough, bristly”), yet the semantic evolution is less plausible.

Synonyms

frightfulghastlygrimgrislygrotesquehorriddreadfulterrible

This word in other languages

horrible(Español)hideux(Français)scheußlich(Deutsch)horrendo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hdieous
  • hhideous
  • hiddeous
  • hideosu
  • hideouss
  • hideuos
  • hidoeus
  • hiedous
  • ihdeous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hdieous2hhideous1hiddeous1hideosu2hideouss1hideuos2hidoeus2hiedous2
Edit distance from "hideous"

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 "hideous"?
"hideous" is spelled H-I-D-E-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪd.i.əs/.
What does "hideous" mean?
As an adjective, "hideous" means: Extremely or shockingly ugly.
What words are commonly confused with "hideous"?
"hideous" is commonly confused with "hides", "hideout", "Hideo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hideous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hideous" is /ˈhɪd.i.əs/. 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 "hideous"?
From Middle English hidous, from Anglo-Norman hidous, from Old French hideus, hydus (“that which inspires terror”), from earlier hisdos, from Old French hisda (“horror, fear”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Probably from Proto-West Germanic *a... 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 "hideous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

genital#16,031layered#16,061Farrell#16,022empress#16,013

Similar misspelling depth

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

greasy9 variantsgadget9 variantsKramer9 variantslotion9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list