hideously

/ˈhɪd.i.əs.li/

//ˈhɪd.i.əs.li// adv

"hideously" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hideously” is uncommon English (frequency #54,835 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,835
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a hideous manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hideously · hideously · English

hideously · rank #54,835 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,835
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heya

Nearest frequency peer: heya (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “hideously”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hideously” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hideously
PropertyValue
Headwordhideously
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈhɪd.i.əs.li/
Letters9
Frequency rank#54,835
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hideously” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “heya” (#54,834), “Hofer” (#54,836), “hereto” (#54,833). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hideously” is #54,835. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hideously is uncommon English at frequency #54,835 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˈhɪd.i.əs.li/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for hideously in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hidously; equivalent to hideous + -ly. The correct English form is hideously, spelled H-I-D-E-O-U-S-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a hideous manner.
  2. 2
    To an extreme degree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Speaking now as a condemned criminal might speak ere the drop-bolts are drawn, my story, wild and hideously improbable as it may appear, demands at least attention.
  2. Pack a larger-than-normal hypochondria kit that includes sunscreen, plastic bandages and allergy pills. Such things are hard to find or hideously expensive.

Etymology

From Middle English hidously; equivalent to hideous + -ly.

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 "hideously"?
"hideously" is spelled H-I-D-E-O-U-S-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪd.i.əs.li/.
What does "hideously" mean?
As an adverb, "hideously" means: In a hideous manner.
How do you pronounce "hideously"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hideously" is /ˈhɪd.i.əs.li/. 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 "hideously"?
From Middle English hidously; equivalent to hideous + -ly. 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 "hideously", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list