honeydew

/ˈhʌnɪdjuː/

//ˈhʌnɪdjuː// noun

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

"honeydew" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“honeydew” is uncommon English (frequency #59,450 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,450
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sweet, sticky substance deposited on leaves and other plant parts by insects (especially aphids and scale insects) feeding on plant sap, or by fungi.

Key facts for honeydew
PropertyValue
Headwordhoneydew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhʌnɪdjuː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#59,450
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “honeydew” 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). honeydew 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

honeydew is uncommon English at frequency #59,450 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhʌnɪdjuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for honeydew in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from honey + dew, originally believed to be a form of dew that fell from the sky like rain onto plants (see sense 1). The adjective is derived from the noun. The correct English form is honeydew, spelled H-O-N-E-Y-D-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sweet, sticky substance deposited on leaves and other plant parts by insects (especially aphids and scale insects) feeding on plant sap, or by fungi.
  2. 2
    A sweet liquid substance resembling the substance mentioned in sense 1, such as honey, nectar, or manna in the Bible.
  3. 3
    A blackish mould (often called sooty mould) produced by fungi of the order Dothideales, feeding on the substance mentioned in sense 1.
  4. 4
    In full honeydew tobacco: a fine sort of tobacco moistened with a sweet substance (originally molasses).
  5. 5
    Ellipsis of honeydew melon (“a melon from the Cucumis melo Inodorus cultivar group, with sweet, light green or white flesh and a smooth greenish-white or yellow rind”).
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of honeydew melon (“a melon from the Cucumis melo Inodorus cultivar group, with sweet, light green or white flesh and a smooth greenish-white or yellow rind”).
  7. 7
    Something that is enjoyable or pleasant.

Etymology

The noun is derived from honey + dew, originally believed to be a form of dew that fell from the sky like rain onto plants (see sense 1). The adjective is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

ligamaza(Español)miellat(Français)Honigtau(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 "honeydew"?
"honeydew" is spelled H-O-N-E-Y-D-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌnɪdjuː/.
What does "honeydew" mean?
As a noun, "honeydew" means: A sweet, sticky substance deposited on leaves and other plant parts by insects (especially aphids and scale insects) feeding on plant sap, or by fungi.
How do you pronounce "honeydew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "honeydew" is /ˈhʌnɪdjuː/. 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 "honeydew"?
The noun is derived from honey + dew, originally believed to be a form of dew that fell from the sky like rain onto plants (see sense 1). The adjective is derived from the noun. 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 “honeydew”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-N-E-Y-D-E-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhʌnɪdjuː/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list