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hijab

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "hijab", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "hijab" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "hijab" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

hijab is aEnglishnoun. It means: A traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women, covering the hair and neck. Pronounced /hɪˈd͡ʒɑːb/. Often confused with hiya and Hiram.

Key facts for hijab
PropertyValue
Headwordhijab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɪˈd͡ʒɑːb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#23,860
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of hijab in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hijab is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hɪˈd͡ʒɑːb/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,860 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for hijab, with forms such as "hhijab", "hiajb", and "hijabb". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "hiya", "Hiram", "HIPAA", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Arabic حِجَاب (ḥijāb, “veil”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is hijab, spelled H-I-J-A-B, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women, covering the hair and neck.
  2. 2
    The practice, among Muslim women, of covering the body after the age of puberty in front of non-related (non-family) adult males.

Etymology

From Arabic حِجَاب (ḥijāb, “veil”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhijab,hiajb,hijabb,hijba,hijjab,hjiab,ihjab

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for hijab

Misspelling Variants of "hijab"

hhijab6hiajb5hijabb6hijba5hijjab6hjiab5ihjab5
Misspelling Variants of "hijab"

Frequency rank: #23,860 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hijab"?
"hijab" is spelled H-I-J-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /hɪˈd͡ʒɑːb/.
What does "hijab" mean?
As a noun, "hijab" means: A traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women, covering the hair and neck.
What words are commonly confused with "hijab"?
"hijab" is commonly confused with "hiya", "Hiram", "HIPAA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hijab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hijab" is /hɪˈd͡ʒɑːb/. 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 "hijab"?
From Arabic حِجَاب (ḥijāb, “veil”). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter H in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.