# hoof

> English word · Noun · IPA /hʊf/ · frequency rank #26,820

## Definitions
1. The tip of a toe of an ungulate such as a horse, ox or deer, strengthened by a thick keratin covering.
2. The human foot.
3. An ungula.
4. The heel of a loaf of bread.

## Etymology
From Middle English hoof, hof, from Old English hōf, from Proto-Germanic *hōfaz (compare West Frisian hoef, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Danish hov, Norwegian hov, Swedish hov), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós (compare Sanskrit शफ (śaphá, “hoof, claw”), Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬟𐬀 (safa, “hoof”), possibly Czech, Polish kopyto).

## Easily confused with
- **how** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-how)
- **hot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hot)
- **hop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hop)
- **Hou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hou)
- **hoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hoy)
- **hos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hos)
- **hor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hor)
- **HOV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hov)
- **hope** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hope)
- **hour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hour)
- **host** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-host)
- **hook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hook)
- **horn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-horn)
- **hose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hose)
- **Howe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-howe)
- **hoop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hoop)
- **howl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-howl)
- **huff** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-huff)
- **hove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hove)
- **hoon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoof-vs-hoon)

## Common misspellings (4)
`hhoof`, `hofo`, `hooff`, `ohof`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hoof