highlight

/ˈhaɪlaɪt/

//ˈhaɪlaɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“highlight” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,049. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,049
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An area or a spot in a drawing, painting, or photograph that is strongly illuminated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-highlight · highlight · English

highlight · rank #5,049 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,049
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hawaii

Nearest frequency peer: Hawaii (-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 “highlight”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “highlight” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

highlight vs highlighter
82% similar

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

Key facts for highlight
PropertyValue
Headwordhighlight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaɪlaɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,049
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “highlight”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hawaii” (#5,048), “holder” (#5,050), “habits” (#5,047). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “highlight” is #5,049. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around highlight (IPA /ˈhaɪlaɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,049 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for highlight, with forms such as "hgihlight", "hhighlight", and "higghlight". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "highlighter", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From high + light. The correct English form is highlight, spelled H-I-G-H-L-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An area or a spot in a drawing, painting, or photograph that is strongly illuminated.
  2. 2
    An especially significant or interesting detail or event or period of time.
  3. 3
    A strand or spot of hair dyed a different color than the rest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The image blurred into the highlight, like something familiar seen beneath disturbed though clear water; he looked at the familiar image with a kind of quiet horror and despair, at a face suddenly older in sin than he would ever be, a face more blurred than sweet, at eyes more secret than soft.
  2. Meeting my future wife was the highlight of my trip to Spain.

Etymology

From high + light.

This word in other languages

resalte(Español)rehaut(Français)Highlight(Deutsch)luz(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hgihlight
  • hhighlight
  • higghlight
  • highhlight
  • highilght
  • highlgiht
  • highligght
  • highlighht
  • highlightt
  • highligth
  • highlihgt
  • highllight
  • higlhight
  • hihglight
  • ihghlight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of highlight - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hgihlight2hhighlight1higghlight1highhlight1highilght2highlgiht2highligght1highlighht1
Edit distance from "highlight"

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 "highlight"?
"highlight" is spelled H-I-G-H-L-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪlaɪt/.
What does "highlight" mean?
As a noun, "highlight" means: An area or a spot in a drawing, painting, or photograph that is strongly illuminated.
What words are commonly confused with "highlight"?
"highlight" is commonly confused with "highlighter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "highlight"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "highlight" is /ˈhaɪlaɪt/. 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 "highlight"?
From high + light. 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 "highlight", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

gradually#5,045identical#5,053detective#5,025creatures#5,022

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

operational15 variantsdisability15 variantsrepeatedly15 variantscollections15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list