horsepower

/ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ/

//ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ// noun

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

"horsepower" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“horsepower” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,189. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,189
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Power derived from the motion of a horse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-horsepower · horsepower · English

horsepower · rank #15,189 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,189
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH horribly

Nearest frequency peer: horribly (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “horsepower”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for horsepower
PropertyValue
Headwordhorsepower
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#15,189
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “horsepower”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).horsepowerlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “horribly” (#15,188), “hue” (#15,190), “homestead” (#15,187). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “horsepower” is #15,189. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around horsepower (IPA /ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,189 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for horsepower, with forms such as "hhorsepower", "horespower", and "horrsepower". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From horse + power: the unit was originally defined as the amount of power that a horse could provide. Both non-metric and metric units of power were derived from effectively identical measurements of the power a draught horse could sustain over several hou… The correct English form is horsepower, spelled H-O-R-S-E-P-O-W-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Power derived from the motion of a horse.
  2. 2
    A nonmetric unit of power with various definitions, commonly the mechanical horsepower, approximately equal to 745.7 watts.
  3. 3
    Metric horsepower, a metric unit approximately equal to 735.5 watts.
  4. 4
    Strength, performance capability, specs, or similar.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Shillibeer's bus came in 1829 drawn by three horses. Later two horses were found sufficient to pull these closed wagonettes, which eventually had outside seats, and later on the substitution of a motor for horsepower.
  2. The Sun Inn is an attractive black-and-white building, and has an old mounting block outside as a reminder of the days when horsepower meant four legs and a saddle.

Etymology

From horse + power: the unit was originally defined as the amount of power that a horse could provide. Both non-metric and metric units of power were derived from effectively identical measurements of the power a draught horse could sustain over several hours, with the difference in watts solely due to different rounding errors to express that power in round numbers in the original non-SI units (ft·lbf/min and kgf⋅m/s respectively).

This word in other languages

cheval-vapeur(Français)Pferdestärke(Deutsch)cavalo-vapor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhorsepower
  • horespower
  • horrsepower
  • horseopwer
  • horsepoewr
  • horsepowerr
  • horsepowre
  • horsepowwer
  • horseppower
  • horsepwoer
  • horspeower
  • horssepower
  • hosrepower
  • hrosepower
  • ohrsepower

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of horsepower - 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.

hhorsepower1horespower2horrsepower1horseopwer2horsepoewr2horsepowerr1horsepowre2horsepowwer1
Edit distance from "horsepower"

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 "horsepower"?
"horsepower" is spelled H-O-R-S-E-P-O-W-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ/.
What does "horsepower" mean?
As a noun, "horsepower" means: Power derived from the motion of a horse.
What are common misspellings of "horsepower"?
Common misspellings include "hhorsepower", "horespower", "horrsepower", "horseopwer", "horsepoewr". The correct spelling is "horsepower".
How do you pronounce "horsepower"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "horsepower" is /ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ/. 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 "horsepower"?
From horse + power: the unit was originally defined as the amount of power that a horse could provide. Both non-metric and metric units of power were derived from effectively identical measurements of the power a draught horse could sustain over s... 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 "horsepower", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hereditary#15,185grassroots#15,178expectancy#15,164exhaustion#15,163

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

negativity15 variantsscratched15 variantssuspicions15 variantsvolatility15 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list