Hofstadter

/ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)/

//ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)// name

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

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

The verdict

“Hofstadter” is uncommon English (frequency #68,293 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,293
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname

Key facts for Hofstadter
PropertyValue
HeadwordHofstadter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)/
Letters10
Frequency rank#68,293
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Hofstadter” 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). Hofstadter 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

Hofstadter is uncommon English at frequency #68,293 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A surname".

Zero misspellings are on record for Hofstadter in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is Hofstadter, spelled H-O-F-S-T-A-D-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname

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 "Hofstadter"?
"Hofstadter" is spelled H-O-F-S-T-A-D-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)/.
What does "Hofstadter" mean?
As a proper noun, "Hofstadter" means: A surname
How do you pronounce "Hofstadter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hofstadter" is /ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Hofstadter" come from?
"Hofstadter" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “Hofstadter”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-F-S-T-A-D-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɒfstætə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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