hoax

/həʊks/

//həʊks// verb

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

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

The verdict

“hoax” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,339. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,339
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To deceive (someone) by making them believe something that has been maliciously or mischievously fabricated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hoax · hoax · English

hoax · rank #14,339 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,339
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hilary

Nearest frequency peer: Hilary (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hoax”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hoax” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hoax vs how
50% similar
hoax vs hot
50% similar
hoax vs hop
50% similar

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

Key facts for hoax
PropertyValue
Headwordhoax
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/həʊks/
Letters4
Frequency rank#14,339
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hoax”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Hilary” (#14,338), “IMF” (#14,340), “heroine” (#14,337). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hoax” is #14,339. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around hoax (IPA /həʊks/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,339 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To deceive (someone) by making them believe something that has been maliciously or mischievously fabricated.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for hoax, with forms such as "haox", "hhoax", and "hoaxx". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "how", "hot", "hop", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Reportedly a form of hocus. Possibly from hocus-pocus or Latin iocus (“joke”). Compare hokey. The correct English form is hoax, spelled H-O-A-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    To deceive (someone) by making them believe something that has been maliciously or mischievously fabricated.

Etymology

Reportedly a form of hocus. Possibly from hocus-pocus or Latin iocus (“joke”). Compare hokey.

This word in other languages

duper(Français)anführen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • haox
  • hhoax
  • hoaxx
  • hoxa
  • ohax

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hoax - 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.

haox2hhoax1hoaxx1hoxa2ohax2
Edit distance from "hoax"

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 "hoax"?
"hoax" is spelled H-O-A-X. The IPA pronunciation is /həʊks/.
What does "hoax" mean?
As a verb, "hoax" means: To deceive (someone) by making them believe something that has been maliciously or mischievously fabricated.
What words are commonly confused with "hoax"?
"hoax" is commonly confused with "how", "hot", "hop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hoax"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hoax" is /həʊks/. 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 "hoax"?
Reportedly a form of hocus. Possibly from hocus-pocus or Latin iocus (“joke”). Compare hokey. 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 "hoax", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lite#14,353Mali#14,362cues#14,305numb#14,373

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

butts5 variantsZeus5 variantsvase5 variantsLevi5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list