hieroglyph

/ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/

//ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf// noun

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

"hieroglyph" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hieroglyph” is uncommon English (frequency #97,110 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,110
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hieroglyph · hieroglyph · English

hieroglyph · rank #97,110 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,110
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hettie

Nearest frequency peer: Hettie (-2 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 “hieroglyph”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hieroglyph
PropertyValue
Headwordhieroglyph
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/
Letters10
Frequency rank#97,110
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hieroglyph” in English

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).hieroglyphfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Hettie” (#97,108), “Hinshaw” (#97,112), “heterotrophic” (#97,107). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hieroglyph” is #97,110. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hieroglyph is uncommon English at frequency #97,110 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for hieroglyph in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested around 1598, a back-formation from hieroglyphic (1580s), from Middle French hiéroglyphique, from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós) (Plutarch τά ἱερογλυφικά [γράμματα] "hieroglyphic [writing]), ἱερόγλυ… The correct English form is hieroglyph, spelled H-I-E-R-O-G-L-Y-P-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.
  2. 2
    An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.
  3. 3
    Any obscure or baffling symbol.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hieroglyphs were discovered on the wall inside the temple.
  2. Mayan Hieroglyphs as Linguistic Evidence. In Third Palenque Round Table, 1978, vol. V, part 2, edited by Merle Greene Robertson, pp. 204-216.

Etymology

First attested around 1598, a back-formation from hieroglyphic (1580s), from Middle French hiéroglyphique, from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós) (Plutarch τά ἱερογλυφικά [γράμματα] "hieroglyphic [writing]), ἱερόγλυφος (hierógluphos, “carver of hieroglyphs”) (Ptolemy), a compound of ἱερός (hierós, “sacred, holy”) and γλυφή (gluphḗ, “carved work”), a calque of Egyptian mdw-nṯr (“the god’s word”), nTr-md. By surface analysis, hiero- + glyph.

This word in other languages

hiéroglyphe(Français)Hieroglyphe(Deutsch)hieróglifo(Português)

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 "hieroglyph"?
"hieroglyph" is spelled H-I-E-R-O-G-L-Y-P-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/.
What does "hieroglyph" mean?
As a noun, "hieroglyph" means: An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.
How do you pronounce "hieroglyph"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hieroglyph" is /ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/. 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 "hieroglyph"?
First attested around 1598, a back-formation from hieroglyphic (1580s), from Middle French hiéroglyphique, from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós) (Plutarch τά ἱερογλυφικά [γράμματα] "hieroglyphic [writing]... 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 "hieroglyph", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hurstville#97,124improviser#97,138groundsman#97,081interbreed#97,146

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list