hope

/həʊp/

//həʊp// verb

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

"hope" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hope” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #346 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#346
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 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].

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hope vs HP
0% similar
hope vs how
50% similar
hope vs hot
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hope
PropertyValue
Headwordhope
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/həʊp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#346
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hope” 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). hope lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hope is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /həʊp/. Corpus data places it at rank #346 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for hope, with forms such as "hhope", "hoep", and "hoppe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HP", "how", "hot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, further etymology unclear. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian hoopje (“to hope”), Cimbrian hòffan (“to hope”), Dutch hopen (“to hope”), German, … The correct English form is hope, spelled H-O-P-E.

Definition

  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].
  2. 2
    To intend to do something and look forward to the prospect of having done it [with to (+ infinitive)].
  3. 3
    To expect optimistically that one might get something (either a change in circumstance or an object) [with for].
  4. 4
    To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good [with in].
  5. 5
    To wish.

Etymology

From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, further etymology unclear. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian hoopje (“to hope”), Cimbrian hòffan (“to hope”), Dutch hopen (“to hope”), German, Luxembourgish hoffen (“to hope”), Vilamovian höfnan (“hope”), Yiddish האָפֿן (hofn, “to hope”), Danish håbe (“to hope”), Norwegian Bokmål håpe (“to hope”), Norwegian Nynorsk håpa, håpe (“to hope”), Swedish hoppas (“to hope”).

This word in other languages

esperar(Español)espérer(Français)hoffen(Deutsch)esperar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhope,hoep,hoppe,hpoe,ohpe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hope - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hhope1hoep2hoppe1hpoe2ohpe2
Edit distance from "hope"

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 "hope"?
"hope" is spelled H-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /həʊp/.
What does "hope" mean?
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) not].
What words are commonly confused with "hope"?
"hope" is commonly confused with "HP", "how", "hot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hope"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hope" is /həʊp/. 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 "hope"?
From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, further etymology unclear. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian hoopje (“to hope”), Cimbrian hòffan (“to hope”), Dutch hopen (“to hope”)... 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 “hope”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /həʊp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “HP” - see the side-by-side comparison. hope vs HP
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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