hob

/hɑb/

//hɑb// noun

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

"hob" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hob” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #38,889) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#38,889
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind of cutting tool, used to cut the teeth of a gear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hob · hob · English

hob · rank #38,889 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,889
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hitchens

Nearest frequency peer: Hitchens (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “hob”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “hob” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

hob vs HR
0% similar
hob vs HP
0% similar
hob vs HQ
0% similar

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

Key facts for hob
PropertyValue
Headwordhob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɑb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#38,889
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “hob”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hitchens” (#38,888), “hows” (#38,890), “hin” (#38,887). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hob” is #38,889. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for hob is neighbouring look-alikes ("HR", "HP", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /hɑb/. Frequency #38,889 among 2,646 “H” headwords. 6 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hob, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HR", "HP", "HQ", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Related to hub, but the ultimate origin of both words is obscure. The correct English form is hob, spelled H-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of cutting tool, used to cut the teeth of a gear.
  2. 2
    The flat projection or iron shelf at the side of a fire grate, where things are put to be kept warm.
  3. 3
    The top cooking surface on a cooker; a cooktop. It typically comprises several cooking elements (often four), also known as 'rings'.
  4. 4
    A rounded peg used as a target in several games, especially in quoits.
  5. 5
    A male ferret.
  6. 6
    The hub of a wheel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hob appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. They went into a dingy room lined with books and littered with papers, where there was a blazing fire. A kettle steamed upon the hob, and in the midst of the wreck of papers a table shone, with plenty of wine upon it, and brandy, and rum, and sugar, and lemons.
  2. And the first sound in the house was the bang, bang of the poker against the raker, as Morel smashed the remainder of the coal to make the kettle, which was filled and left on the hob, finally boil.

Etymology

Related to hub, but the ultimate origin of both words is obscure.

Synonyms

cooktopstovetop

This word in other languages

armure(Français)Fräser(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 "hob"?
"hob" is spelled H-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /hɑb/.
What does "hob" mean?
As a noun, "hob" means: A kind of cutting tool, used to cut the teeth of a gear.
What words are commonly confused with "hob"?
"hob" is commonly confused with "HR", "HP", "HQ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hob" is /hɑb/. 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 "hob"?
Related to hub, but the ultimate origin of both words is obscure. 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 "hob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hin#38,887GSP#38,871ker#38,929MCL#38,963

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list