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PlainSpell

hope

/ˈhoʊp/verb, noun

hope is spelled H-O-P-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 275 times per million words in written English, the 347th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Hope, the name). People search “hop vs hope” about 10 times a month (Bing, United States). As a verb, hope means “To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative)…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in hope?

Letters4: H-O-P-E
Syllables1
In writing275 times per million words; the 347th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is hope?

Hope appears 275 times per million words in written English, the 347th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Hope, the name.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce hope?

  • UK /ˈhəʊp/
  • US /ˈhoʊp/
  • Australia /ˈhəʉp/

Hope has one syllable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-hope.wav, En-us-hope.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with hope

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

hop vs hope10 B

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with hope?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as hope from its last stressed vowel (/oʊp/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of hope

  • hopes present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • hoping participle, present
  • hoped participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does hope mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not].

    They are hoping it does not rain, but I expect it will.

  2. 2

    To intend to do something and look forward to the prospect of having done it [with to (+ infinitive)].

    I hope to succeed.

  3. 3

    To expect optimistically that one might get something (either a change in circumstance or an object) [with for].

    They're hoping for the best, but I don't think it's looking very good.

  4. 4

    To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good [with in].

  5. 5

    nonstandardTo wish.

    I hope you all the best.

noun

  1. 1

    The feeling of trust, confidence, belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.

    All hopes for a truce are gone after the latest attack.

  2. 2

    The actual thing wished for.

  3. 3

    A person or thing that is a source of hope.

    We still have one hope left: my roommate might see the note I left on the table.

  4. 4

    The virtuous desire for future good.

  5. 5

    ScotlandA hollow; a valley, especially the upper end of a narrow mountain valley when it is nearly encircled by smooth, green slopes; a combe.

  6. 6

    A sloping plain between mountain ridges.

  7. 7

    ScotlandA small bay; an inlet; a haven.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Hope in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchespérer (to want something to happen, with expectation…), espoir, espérance (belief that something wished for can happen)
Germanhoffen (to want something to happen, with expectation…), Hoffnung (belief that something wished for can happen)
Portugueseesperar (to want something to happen, with expectation…), esperança (belief that something wished for can happen)
Spanishesperar, esperanzarse, ojalá, amalaya, quienquita, aguardar (to want something to happen, with expectation…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does hope come from?

From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn; further etymology unclear.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after hope