histone

/ˈhɪstəʊn/

//ˈhɪstəʊn// noun

"histone" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“histone” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,176. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,176
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various simple water-soluble proteins that are rich in the basic amino acids lysine and arginine and are complexed with DNA in the nucleosomes of eukaryotic chromatin.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

histone vs history
71% similar
histone vs Hilton
57% similar
histone vs Heston
57% similar

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

Key facts for histone
PropertyValue
Headwordhistone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɪstəʊn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,176
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “histone” 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). histone lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around histone (IPA /ˈhɪstəʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,176 among 23,837 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of various simple water-soluble proteins that are rich in the basic amino acids lysine and arginine and are complexed with DNA in the nucleosomes of eukaryotic chromatin.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for histone, with forms such as "hhistone", "hisotne", and "hisstone". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "history", "Hilton", "Heston", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Histon, perhaps from Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “make stand”) or ἱστός (histós, “loom”). The correct English form is histone, spelled H-I-S-T-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various simple water-soluble proteins that are rich in the basic amino acids lysine and arginine and are complexed with DNA in the nucleosomes of eukaryotic chromatin.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Histon, perhaps from Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “make stand”) or ἱστός (histós, “loom”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhistone,hisotne,hisstone,histnoe,histoen,histonne,histtone,hitsone,hsitone,ihstone

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of histone - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hhistone1hisotne2hisstone1histnoe2histoen2histonne1histtone1hitsone2
Edit distance from "histone"

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 "histone"?
"histone" is spelled H-I-S-T-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪstəʊn/.
What does "histone" mean?
As a noun, "histone" means: Any of various simple water-soluble proteins that are rich in the basic amino acids lysine and arginine and are complexed with DNA in the nucleosomes of eukaryotic chromatin.
What words are commonly confused with "histone"?
"histone" is commonly confused with "history", "Hilton", "Heston". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "histone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "histone" is /ˈhɪstəʊn/. 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 "histone"?
Borrowed from German Histon, perhaps from Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “make stand”) or ἱστός (histós, “loom”). 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 “histone”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-I-S-T-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɪstəʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “history” - see the side-by-side comparison. histone vs history
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list