hird

noun

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

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

The verdict

“hird” is uncommon English (frequency #70,746 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,746
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In Norwegian history, an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hird · hird · English

hird · rank #70,746 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,746
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH histidine

Nearest frequency peer: histidine (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “hird”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hird” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hird
PropertyValue
Headwordhird
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#70,746
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hird” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hirdfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “histidine” (#70,747), “hoar” (#70,748), “highline” (#70,743). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hird” is #70,746. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hird is uncommon English at frequency #70,746 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hird, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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: Borrowed from Norwegian hird, from Old Norse hirð, a borrowing from Old English hīred, hēored (“family, household”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād (“relationship; family”), equivalent to hewe + rede. Cognate with German Heirat (“wedding”). The correct English form is hird, spelled H-I-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    In Norwegian history, an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls.
  2. 2
    The formal royal court household.

Etymology

Borrowed from Norwegian hird, from Old Norse hirð, a borrowing from Old English hīred, hēored (“family, household”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād (“relationship; family”), equivalent to hewe + rede. Cognate with German Heirat (“wedding”).

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 "hird"?
"hird" is spelled H-I-R-D.
What does "hird" mean?
As a noun, "hird" means: In Norwegian history, an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls.
What is the origin of the word "hird"?
Borrowed from Norwegian hird, from Old Norse hirð, a borrowing from Old English hīred, hēored (“family, household”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīwarād (“relationship; family”), equivalent to hewe + rede. Cognate with German Heirat (“wedding”). 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 "hird", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hoar#70,748gwan#70,727illy#70,767kula#70,817

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list