high

/haɪ/

//haɪ// adj

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

"high" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“high” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #172. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#172
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:

Corpus desk

Index EN-high · high · English

high · rank #172 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #172
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 23,837
  • PHOTO-FINISH help

Nearest frequency peer: help (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “high”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “high” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

high vs his
50% similar
high vs him
50% similar
high vs hit
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for high
PropertyValue
Headwordhigh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/haɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#172
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “high” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around high (IPA /haɪ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #172 among 23,837 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 27 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for high, with forms such as "hgih", "hhigh", and "higgh". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "his", "him", "hit", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English high, heigh, heih, from Old English hēah (“high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime, illustrious, important, proud, haughty, deep, right”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauh (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”), from Proto-… The correct English form is high, spelled H-I-G-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
  2. 2
    Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
  3. 3
    Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
  4. 4
    Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
  5. 5
    Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
  6. 6
    Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
  7. 7
    Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
  8. 8
    Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
  9. 9
    Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
  10. 10
    Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
  11. 11
    Extreme, excessive; now specifically very traditionalist and conservative.
  12. 12
    Elevated in mood; marked by great merriment, excitement, etc.
  13. 13
    Luxurious; rich.
  14. 14
    Lofty, often to the point of arrogant, haughty, boastful, proud.
  15. 15
    Keen, enthused.
  16. 16
    With tall waves.
  17. 17
    Remote (to the north or south) from the equator; situated at (or constituting) a latitude which is expressed by a large number.
  18. 18
    Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
  19. 19
    Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
  20. 20
    Acute or shrill in pitch, due to being of greater frequency, i.e. produced by more rapid vibrations (wave oscillations).
  21. 21
    Made with some part of the tongue positioned high in the mouth, relatively close to the palate.
  22. 22
    Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
  23. 23
    Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
  24. 24
    Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
  25. 25
    Intoxicated; under the influence of a mood-altering drug, formerly usually alcohol, but now (from the mid-20th century) usually not alcohol but rather marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
  26. 26
    Near, in its direction of travel, to the (direction of the) wind.
  27. 27
    Positioned up the field, towards the opposing team's goal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The balloon rose high in the sky. The wall was high. a high mountain
  2. Upon the highest spray of every mounting pole, Those Quirristers are pearcht with many a speckled breast.

Etymology

From Middle English high, heigh, heih, from Old English hēah (“high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime, illustrious, important, proud, haughty, deep, right”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauh (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- (“to bend; crooked”). Cognates Cognate with Scots heich (“high”), Yola heegh, heigh, heighe, hia, hie (“high”), North Frisian hoog, huuch (“high”), Saterland Frisian hooch, hoog (“high”), West Frisian heech (“high”), Alemannic German hooch (“high”), Central Franconian huh (“high”), Cimbrian hoach, hòach (“high”), Dutch hoog, hooge (“high”), German hoch (“high”), German Low German hooch (“high”), Limburgish hoeg (“high”), Luxembourgish héich (“high”), Mòcheno heach (“high”), Vilamovian huch (“high”), Yiddish הויך (hoykh, “high”), Danish høj (“high”), Faroese háur, høgur (“high”), Gutnish haugar (“high”), Icelandic hár (“high”), Norwegian Bokmål høg, høy (“high”), Norwegian Nynorsk høg, håg, hå (“high”), Swedish hög (“high”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃 (hauhs, “high”), Vandalic *oas (“high”), Old French haut (“high”) (from Old High German hoh (“high”)); also with Ancient Greek Καύκᾰσος (Kaúkăsos, “Caucasus”), Latvian koks (“tree”), Lithuanian kúoka (“stick with thick end, pounder, pestle”), Bulgarian ку́ка (kúka, “hook”), Albanian çukë (“peak, summit, top”).

Synonyms

hautehawttallstoneddrunk

Antonyms

low

This word in other languages

alto(Español)haut(Français)hoch(Deutsch)alto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hgih
  • hhigh
  • higgh
  • highh
  • hihg
  • ihgh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of high - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hgih2hhigh1higgh1highh1hihg2ihgh2
Edit distance from "high"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "high"?
"high" is spelled H-I-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /haɪ/.
What does "high" mean?
As an adjective, "high" means: Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
What words are commonly confused with "high"?
"high" is commonly confused with "his", "him", "hit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "high"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "high" is /haɪ/. 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 "high"?
From Middle English high, heigh, heih, from Old English hēah (“high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime, illustrious, important, proud, haughty, deep, right”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauh (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz (“high”), f... 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 "high", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

help#171find#169does#177game#182

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

three6 variantshouse6 variantsboth6 variantsagain6 variants
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list