Hijra

/ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/

//ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə// name

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

"hijra" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Hijra” is uncommon English (frequency #87,362 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,362
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The flight of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (later Medina) in 622 ce, which forms the first year of the Islamic era (ah 1).

Key facts for Hijra
PropertyValue
HeadwordHijra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#87,362
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Hijra” 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). Hijra lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Hijra is uncommon English at frequency #87,362 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for Hijra in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Arabic هِجْرَة (hijra, “departure, exodus”), used in reference to Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, from the verb هَجَرَ (hajara, “emigrate, to abandon”). Doublet of Hegira, which went through Latin. The correct English form is Hijra, spelled H-I-J-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The flight of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (later Medina) in 622 ce, which forms the first year of the Islamic era (ah 1).
  2. 2
    AH: the Islamic era, dated from the Hijra.
  3. 3
    The Islamic calendar, dated from the Hijra.

Etymology

From Arabic هِجْرَة (hijra, “departure, exodus”), used in reference to Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, from the verb هَجَرَ (hajara, “emigrate, to abandon”). Doublet of Hegira, which went through Latin.

This word in other languages

hégira(Español)hégire(Français)Hedschra(Deutsch)

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 "Hijra"?
"Hijra" is spelled H-I-J-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/.
What does "Hijra" mean?
As a proper noun, "Hijra" means: The flight of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (later Medina) in 622 ce, which forms the first year of the Islamic era (ah 1).
How do you pronounce "Hijra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hijra" is /ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/. 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 "Hijra"?
From Arabic هِجْرَة (hijra, “departure, exodus”), used in reference to Muhammad’s flight from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, from the verb هَجَرَ (hajara, “emigrate, to abandon”). Doublet of Hegira, which went through Latin. 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.

Using “Hijra”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-I-J-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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