hoodlum

/ˈhuːdləm/

//ˈhuːdləm// noun

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

"hoodlum" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hoodlum” is uncommon English (frequency #67,510 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,510
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A gangster; a hired thug.

Key facts for hoodlum
PropertyValue
Headwordhoodlum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhuːdləm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#67,510
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hoodlum” 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). hoodlum 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

hoodlum is uncommon English at frequency #67,510 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhuːdləm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

hoodlum doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in a December 1866 Daily Alta California article, which mentions "the 'Hoodlum Gang' of juvenile thieves". Several possible origins have been proposed. It may derive from a Germanic word like Swabian hudelum (“disorderly”) or Bavarian Haderlu… The correct English form is hoodlum, spelled H-O-O-D-L-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gangster; a hired thug.
  2. 2
    A rough or violent youth.

Etymology

First attested in a December 1866 Daily Alta California article, which mentions "the 'Hoodlum Gang' of juvenile thieves". Several possible origins have been proposed. It may derive from a Germanic word like Swabian hudelum (“disorderly”) or Bavarian Haderlump (“ragamuffin”). Herbert Asbury's book The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld (1933, A. A. Knopf, New York) says the word originated in San Francisco from a particular street gang's call to unemployed Irishmen to "huddle 'em" (to beat up Chinese migrants), after which San Francisco newspapers took to calling street gangs "hoodlums".

This word in other languages

matón(Español)bandit(Français)Schläger(Deutsch)marginal(Português)

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 "hoodlum"?
"hoodlum" is spelled H-O-O-D-L-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhuːdləm/.
What does "hoodlum" mean?
As a noun, "hoodlum" means: A gangster; a hired thug.
How do you pronounce "hoodlum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hoodlum" is /ˈhuːdləm/. 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 "hoodlum"?
First attested in a December 1866 Daily Alta California article, which mentions "the 'Hoodlum Gang' of juvenile thieves". Several possible origins have been proposed. It may derive from a Germanic word like Swabian hudelum (“disorderly”) or Bavari... 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 “hoodlum”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-O-D-L-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhuːdləm/ (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