hitchhiker

noun

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

"hitchhiker" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hitchhiker” is uncommon English (frequency #52,379 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,379
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person or thing that hitchhikes.

Key facts for hitchhiker
PropertyValue
Headwordhitchhiker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#52,379
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hitchhiker” 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). hitchhiker lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

hitchhiker is uncommon English at frequency #52,379 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

hitchhiker doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hitchhike + -er. The correct English form is hitchhiker, spelled H-I-T-C-H-H-I-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person or thing that hitchhikes.
  2. 2
    An item attached to a travel bug and hidden in a geocache to be found and transported to other caches or around the world.
  3. 3
    A dance move in which the dancer mimics the motions of someone thumbing a ride.
  4. 4
    A bur that attaches and clings to clothing, or a bur-bearing plant.
  5. 5
    An advertisement at the end of a programme.

Etymology

From hitchhike + -er.

This word in other languages

autoestopista(Español)autostoppeur(Français)Anhalter(Deutsch)

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 "hitchhiker"?
"hitchhiker" is spelled H-I-T-C-H-H-I-K-E-R.
What does "hitchhiker" mean?
As a noun, "hitchhiker" means: A person or thing that hitchhikes.
What is the origin of the word "hitchhiker"?
From hitchhike + -er. 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 “hitchhiker”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-I-T-C-H-H-I-K-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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