# horse

> English word · Noun · IPA /hɔːs/ · frequency rank #1,793

## Definitions
1. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
2. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
3. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
4. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
5. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
6. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
7. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
8. A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
9. Equipment with legs.
10. Equipment with legs.
11. A type of equipment.
12. A type of equipment.
13. A type of equipment.
14. A type of equipment.
15. A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse (said of a vein) is to divide into branches for a distance.
16. An informal variant of basketball in which players match shots made by their opponent(s), each miss adding a letter to the word "horse", with 5 misses spelling the whole word and eliminating a player, until only the winner is left. Also HORSE, H-O-R-S-E or H.O.R.S.E. (see H-O-R-S-E on WikipediaWikipedia).
17. The flesh of a horse as an item of cuisine.
18. A prison guard who smuggles contraband in or out for prisoners.
19. A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination.
20. Horseplay; tomfoolery.
21. A player who has been staked, i.e. another player has paid for their buy-in and claims a percentage of any winnings.

## Etymology
From Middle English hors, horse, ors, from Old English hors (“horse”), from Proto-West Germanic *hors, *hross, from Proto-Germanic *hrussą (“horse”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós (“vehicle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Doublet of car and carrus.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots horse (“horse”), West Frisian hoars (“horse”), Cimbrian ross (“horse”), Dutch hors, ros (“horse”), German Ross, Roß (“horse”), Danish and Norwegian Nynorsk hors (“horse, mare”), Faroese hors, ross (“horse”), Icelandic hross (“horse”), Swedish russ (“horse”); also Cornish karr (“car”), Welsh car (“car; cart, wagon”), Latin currus (“car, chariot; wagon, wain”), Ancient Greek ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros, “aiding, assisting; defending; ally, helper; hireling”), Tocharian A kursär (“vehicle; mile”), Tocharian B kwarsär (“course; path”).

## Easily confused with
- **hos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hos)
- **hse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hse)
- **host** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-host)
- **hose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hose)
- **Howe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-howe)
- **hove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hove)
- **hots** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hots)
- **hows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hows)
- **hoss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hoss)
- **house** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-house)
- **hours** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hours)
- **Howie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-howie)
- **hurst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hurst)
- **hoses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hoses)
- **Horus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-horus)
- **horst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-horst)
- **Hoyle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hoyle)
- **Hosea** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-hosea)
- **houses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-houses)
- **horses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/horse-vs-horses)

## Common misspellings (7)
`hhorse`, `hores`, `horrse`, `horsse`, `hosre`, `hrose`, `ohrse`

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