hijack

/ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/

//ˈhaɪ.dʒæk// verb

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

"hijack" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hijack” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,089. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,089
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).

Corpus desk

Index EN-hijack · hijack · English

hijack · rank #25,089 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,089
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hickey

Nearest frequency peer: hickey (-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 “hijack”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hijack” 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).

hijack vs hijacked
75% similar
hijack vs hijacker
75% similar
hijack vs hack
67% similar

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

Key facts for hijack
PropertyValue
Headwordhijack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,089
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hijack”

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).hijacklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “hickey” (#25,088), “Hereford” (#25,087), “hologram” (#25,091). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hijack” is #25,089. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hijack (IPA /ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,089 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hijack, with forms such as "hhijack", "hiajck", and "hijacck". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "hijacked", "hijacker", "hack", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly from a blend of highway + jacker (“one who holds up”) (1915). The correct English form is hijack, spelled H-I-J-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
  2. 2
    To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.
  3. 3
    To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. hijack the radio show

Etymology

Possibly from a blend of highway + jacker (“one who holds up”) (1915).

This word in other languages

secuestrar(Español)détourner(Français)entführen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhijack
  • hiajck
  • hijacck
  • hijackk
  • hijakc
  • hijcak
  • hijjack
  • hjiack
  • ihjack

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhijack1hiajck2hijacck1hijackk1hijakc2hijcak2hijjack1hjiack2
Edit distance from "hijack"

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 "hijack"?
"hijack" is spelled H-I-J-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/.
What does "hijack" mean?
As a verb, "hijack" means: To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
What words are commonly confused with "hijack"?
"hijack" is commonly confused with "hijacked", "hijacker", "hack". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hijack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hijack" is /ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/. 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 "hijack"?
Possibly from a blend of highway + jacker (“one who holds up”) (1915). 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 "hijack", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hickey#25,088gurney#25,081gundam#25,080groovy#25,078

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Horatio9 variantsGraces9 variantsglimmer9 variantsfrugal9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list