hipster
/ˈhɪp.stə/
"hipster" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hipster” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,336 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #18,336
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who is keenly interested in the latest trends or fashions.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hipster |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈhɪp.stə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #18,336 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hipster” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hipster is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɪp.stə/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,336 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 hipster, with forms such as "hhipster", "hippster", and "hipsetr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "hitter", "holster", "Hester", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From hip + -ster. First attested for someone carrying something on their hip in the U.S. in the 1920s. Attested as a variant of hepster in the 1940s, for a follower of the latest fashions/trends/styles. The correct English form is hipster, spelled H-I-P-S-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1A person who is keenly interested in the latest trends or fashions.
- 2A member of Bohemian counterculture.
- 3An aficionado of jazz who considers himself or herself to be hip.
- 4A person who wears a hip flask (of alcohol).
- 5A dancer, particularly a female one.
- 6Underwear with an elastic waistband at hip level.
Etymology
From hip + -ster. First attested for someone carrying something on their hip in the U.S. in the 1920s. Attested as a variant of hepster in the 1940s, for a follower of the latest fashions/trends/styles.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: hhipster,hippster,hipsetr,hipsster,hipsterr,hipstre,hipstter,hiptser,hispter,hpister,ihpster
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hipster - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "hipster"?
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Using “hipster”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-I-P-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhɪp.stə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “hitter” - see the side-by-side comparison. hipster vs hitter
- 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.