# hornet

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhɔː.nɪt/ · frequency rank #23,863

## Definitions
1. Any large wasp of the genus Vespa, having a brown-and-yellow-striped body and the ability to inflict a serious sting.
2. A person who pesters with petty but ceaseless attacks.

## Etymology
From Middle English hernet, from Old English hyrnetu, hyrnete, from Proto-West Germanic *hurnutu, from Proto-Germanic *hurznutō (compare German Hornisse), alteration of Proto-Germanic *hursulǭ (compare Dutch horzel), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂sro- (“hornet”, literally “the one with horns (antennae)”), from *ḱerh₂- (“horn”) (compare Welsh creyryn (“gadfly”), Latin crābrō (“hornet”), Lithuanian širšė (“wasp”), Proto-Slavic *sьrxy (whence Old Church Slavonic сръшень (srŭšenĭ, “hornet”) and many others), Albanian grerë, grenzë (“wasp, hornet”)).

## Easily confused with
- **horse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hornet-vs-horse)
- **horns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hornet-vs-horns)
- **horny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hornet-vs-horny)
- **horst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hornet-vs-horst)
- **horses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hornet-vs-horses)
- **horn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horn-vs-hornet)
- **hone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hone-vs-hornet)
- **honey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/honey-vs-hornet)
- **horde** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horde-vs-hornet)
- **honed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/honed-vs-hornet)
- **honest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/honest-vs-hornet)
- **horned** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horned-vs-hornet)
- **horner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horner-vs-hornet)
- **Hornby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hornby-vs-hornet)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hhornet`, `honret`, `horent`, `hornett`, `hornnet`, `hornte`, `horrnet`, `hronet`, `ohrnet`

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