hierarchy
/ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/
"hierarchy" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hierarchy” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,904 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #9,904
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hierarchy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #9,904 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hierarchy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hierarchy is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,904 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for hierarchy, with forms such as "heirarchy", "hhierarchy", and "hiearrchy". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ierarchie, jerarchie, from Old French ierarchie, jerarchie, from Late Latin ierarchia, from Latin hierarchia, from Ancient Greek ἱεραρχία (hierarkhía, “rule of a high priest”), from ἱεράρχης (hierárkhēs, “high priest”), from ἱερός (hieró… The correct English form is hierarchy, spelled H-I-E-R-A-R-C-H-Y.
Definition
- 1A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.
- 2A social, religious, economic or political system or organization in which people or groups of people are ranked with some superior to others based on their status, authority or some other trait.
- 3Any group of objects ranked so that every one but the topmost is subordinate to a specified one above it.
Etymology
From Middle English ierarchie, jerarchie, from Old French ierarchie, jerarchie, from Late Latin ierarchia, from Latin hierarchia, from Ancient Greek ἱεραρχία (hierarkhía, “rule of a high priest”), from ἱεράρχης (hierárkhēs, “high priest”), from ἱερός (hierós, “holy”) + ἄρχω (árkhō, “I rule”), equivalent to hiero- + -archy. The H was re-added c. 1500 due to influence from Classical Latin.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: heirarchy,hhierarchy,hiearrchy,hieracrhy,hierarcchy,hierarchhy,hierarchyy,hierarcyh,hierarhcy,hierarrchy,hierrachy,hierrarchy,hirearchy,iherarchy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hierarchy - 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.
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 "hierarchy"?
What does "hierarchy" mean?
What are common misspellings of "hierarchy"?
How do you pronounce "hierarchy"?
What is the origin of the word "hierarchy"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “hierarchy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-I-E-R-A-R-C-H-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.