hillbilly
/ˈhɪlˌbɪli/
"hillbilly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hillbilly” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,106 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #34,106
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who is from the hills; especially from a rural area, with a connotation of a lack of refinement or sophistication.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hillbilly |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhɪlˌbɪli/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #34,106 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hillbilly” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hillbilly is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɪlˌbɪli/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,106 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 generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hillbilly, with forms such as "hhillbilly", "hilbilly", and "hilblilly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From hill + billy (“fellow”). Compare Scots chapman billie (“travelling salesman”). The correct English form is hillbilly, spelled H-I-L-L-B-I-L-L-Y.
Definition
- 1Someone who is from the hills; especially from a rural area, with a connotation of a lack of refinement or sophistication.
- 2A white person from the rural southern part of the United States, especially the Southeastern states.
Etymology
From hill + billy (“fellow”). Compare Scots chapman billie (“travelling salesman”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: hhillbilly,hilbilly,hilblilly,hillbbilly,hillbillyy,hillbily,hillbilyl,hillblily,hilliblly,hlilbilly,ihllbilly
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hillbilly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "hillbilly"?
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Using “hillbilly”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-I-L-L-B-I-L-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhɪlˌbɪli/ (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
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.