hieroglyph
/ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/
"hieroglyph" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hieroglyph” is an uncommon English word, ranked #97,110 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #97,110
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hieroglyph |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #97,110 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hieroglyph” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hieroglyph is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/. Corpus data places it at rank #97,110 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.
- 2An element (individual sign or glyph) of a hieroglyphic writing system.
- 3Any obscure or baffling symbol.
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
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
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Using “hieroglyph”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-I-E-R-O-G-L-Y-P-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhaɪ.ɹəˌɡlɪf/ (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.