hilt

/hɪlt/

//hɪlt// noun

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

"hilt" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hilt” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,844. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,844
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The handle of a sword, consisting of grip, guard, and pommel, designed to facilitate use of the blade and afford protection to the hand.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hilt · hilt · English

hilt · rank #32,844 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,844
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Highlander

Nearest frequency peer: Highlander (-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 “hilt”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hilt” 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).

hilt vs his
50% similar
hilt vs him
50% similar
hilt vs hit
75% similar

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

Key facts for hilt
PropertyValue
Headwordhilt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɪlt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#32,844
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hilt”

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).hiltlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Highlander” (#32,843), “hinterland” (#32,845), “hellfire” (#32,842). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hilt” is #32,844. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around hilt (IPA /hɪlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,844 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for hilt, with forms such as "hhilt", "hillt", and "hiltt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "his", "him", "hit", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hilt, hilte, from Old English hilt, hilte, from Proto-Germanic *heltą, *heltǭ, *heltō, *hiltijō, (compare Old Norse hjalt, Old High German helza, Old Saxon helta), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to strike, cut”) (see holt). The correct English form is hilt, spelled H-I-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The handle of a sword, consisting of grip, guard, and pommel, designed to facilitate use of the blade and afford protection to the hand.
  2. 2
    The base of the penis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A partial tang does not extend all the way through the hilt and is normally not more than half the width of the blade. The length of the tang and the width, particularly where it narrows before entering the pommel, vary from sword to sword.
  2. he draws it again, and just wetting it with spittle, re-enters, and with ease sheath'd it now up to the hilt

Etymology

From Middle English hilt, hilte, from Old English hilt, hilte, from Proto-Germanic *heltą, *heltǭ, *heltō, *hiltijō, (compare Old Norse hjalt, Old High German helza, Old Saxon helta), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to strike, cut”) (see holt).

This word in other languages

empuñadura(Español)poignée(Français)Griff(Deutsch)cabo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhilt
  • hillt
  • hiltt
  • hitl
  • hlit
  • ihlt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhilt1hillt1hiltt1hitl2hlit2ihlt2
Edit distance from "hilt"

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 "hilt"?
"hilt" is spelled H-I-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hɪlt/.
What does "hilt" mean?
As a noun, "hilt" means: The handle of a sword, consisting of grip, guard, and pommel, designed to facilitate use of the blade and afford protection to the hand.
What words are commonly confused with "hilt"?
"hilt" is commonly confused with "his", "him", "hit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hilt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hilt" is /hɪlt/. 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 "hilt"?
From Middle English hilt, hilte, from Old English hilt, hilte, from Proto-Germanic *heltą, *heltǭ, *heltō, *hiltijō, (compare Old Norse hjalt, Old High German helza, Old Saxon helta), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to strike, cut”) (see holt). 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 "hilt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hamm#32,839hain#32,837Jenn#32,877Elba#32,787

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

heave6 variantsgrotto6 variantsgarret6 variantsJudea6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list