hooligan

Name: hooligan, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/

//ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“hooligan” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,183. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,183
frequency rank, English: 2,646
“H” headwords: 11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hooligan · hooligan · English

hooligan · rank #42,183 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #42,183
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-MID 11 variants
BOOK-MID 2,646
PHOTO-FINISH Holley

Nearest frequency peer: Holley (-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.

hn

57,822
Hollander

57,820
Holley

57,819
hooligan

57,818
Huffman

57,815
humongous

57,814

What this shows “hooligan” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for hooligan
Property	Value
Headword	hooligan
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#42,183
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hooligan”

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

#42,183

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Holley” (#42,182), “Hollander” (#42,181), “Huffman” (#42,186). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hooligan” is #42,183. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around hooligan (IPA /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,183 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for hooligan, with forms such as "hhooligan", "holigan", and "holoigan". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably a variant of the Irish surname Houlihan, 1890s. The correct English form is hooligan, spelled H-O-O-L-I-G-A-N.

Definition

1
A young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group.
2
Ellipsis of football hooligan.
3
A member of the United States Coast Guard.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

She also heard boys from other classes behind her talking: “So, Teacher Tang is a female hooligan.”
And I was in danger of turning into a right little hooligan if left to my wayward ways.

Etymology

Probably a variant of the Irish surname Houlihan, 1890s.

This word in other languages

gamberro(Español)hooligan(Français)Hooligan(Deutsch)vândalo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

hhooligan
holigan
holoigan
hooilgan
hoolgian
hooliagn
hooligann
hooliggan
hooligna
hoolligan
oholigan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hooligan - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "hooligan"

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 "hooligan"?

"hooligan" is spelled H-O-O-L-I-G-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/.

What does "hooligan" mean?

As a noun, "hooligan" means: A young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group.

What are common misspellings of "hooligan"?

Common misspellings include "hhooligan", "holigan", "holoigan", "hooilgan", "hoolgian". The correct spelling is "hooligan".

How do you pronounce "hooligan"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hooligan" is /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/. 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 "hooligan"?

Probably a variant of the Irish surname Houlihan, 1890s. 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 "hooligan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hydroxyl#42,190 headland#42,172 impurity#42,196 globular#42,157

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

innkeeper11 variants intifada11 variants glittery11 variants Klamath11 variants