# hoarse

> English word · Adjective · IPA /hɔːs/ · frequency rank #43,691

## Definitions
1. Having a dry, harsh tone to the voice, as a result of a sore throat, age, emotion, etc.

## Etymology
From Middle English hors, hos, from Old English hās, *hārs, from Proto-Germanic *haisaz, *haisraz, akin to Old Norse háss (West Norse) and heiss (East Norse) (whence Icelandic hás, Norwegian Nynorsk hås, Norwegian Bokmål hes and Swedish hes).

## Easily confused with
- **hose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-hose)
- **house** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-house)
- **hours** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-hours)
- **horse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-horse)
- **horde** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-horde)
- **horst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-horst)
- **horses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-horses)
- **hoss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarse-vs-hoss)
- **hare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hare-vs-hoarse)
- **harsh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harsh-vs-hoarse)
- **hears** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hears-vs-hoarse)
- **hoard** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoard-vs-hoarse)
- **Hoare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoare-vs-hoarse)
- **Hearst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hearst-vs-hoarse)
- **hearse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hearse-vs-hoarse)
- **hoarder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoarder-vs-hoarse)

## Common misspellings (8)
`haorse`, `hhoarse`, `hoares`, `hoarrse`, `hoarsse`, `hoasre`, `horase`, `oharse`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hoarse