hierarchy

/ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/

//ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hierarchy” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,904. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,904
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hierarchy · hierarchy · English

hierarchy · rank #9,904 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,904
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hears

Nearest frequency peer: hears (-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 “hierarchy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hierarchy” 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
Key facts for hierarchy
PropertyValue
Headwordhierarchy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,904
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hierarchy”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “hears” (#9,903), “ideals” (#9,905), “greenhouse” (#9,902). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hierarchy” is #9,904. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around hierarchy (IPA /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,904 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.
  2. 2
    A 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.
  3. 3
    Any group of objects ranked so that every one but the topmost is subordinate to a specified one above it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Gay men and bisexuals were blamed for the [AIDS] epidemic for much the same reason that the church hierarchy in the Middle Ages accused Jewish people of creating bubonic plague by "poisoning the wells."
  2. The [Washington] Post's proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account.

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

jerarquía(Español)hiérarchie(Français)Hierarchie(Deutsch)hierarquia(Português)

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.

heirarchy2hhierarchy1hiearrchy2hieracrhy2hierarcchy1hierarchhy1hierarchyy1hierarcyh2
Edit distance from "hierarchy"

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"?
"hierarchy" is spelled H-I-E-R-A-R-C-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/.
What does "hierarchy" mean?
As a noun, "hierarchy" means: A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.
What are common misspellings of "hierarchy"?
Common misspellings include "heirarchy", "hhierarchy", "hiearrchy", "hieracrhy", "hierarcchy". The correct spelling is "hierarchy".
How do you pronounce "hierarchy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hierarchy" is /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/. 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 "hierarchy"?
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 ἱε... 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 "hierarchy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Lancaster#9,913fertility#9,892neglected#9,919ecosystem#9,885

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

greenhouse14 variantsecological14 variantsphotoshop14 variantsprecedent14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list