hot

/hɒt/

//hɒt// adj

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

"hot" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hot” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #711 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#711
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hot vs HR
0% similar
hot vs HP
0% similar
hot vs HQ
0% similar

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

Key facts for hot
PropertyValue
Headwordhot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/hɒt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#711
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hot” 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). hot 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 hot is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hɒt/. Corpus data places it at rank #711 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for hot in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HR", "HP", "HQ", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hot, hat, from Old English hāt (“hot”), from Proto-West Germanic *hait, from Proto-Germanic *haitaz (“hot”), from Proto-Indo-European *keHy- (“hot; to heat”). Cognate with Scots hate, hait (“hot”), North Frisian hiet (“hot”), Saterland F… The correct English form is hot, spelled H-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.
  2. 2
    Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.
  3. 3
    Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.
  4. 4
    Active, in use or ready for use (like a bullet or a firing range), turned on (like a microphone or camera).
  5. 5
    Active, in use or ready for use (like a bullet or a firing range), turned on (like a microphone or camera).
  6. 6
    Active, in use or ready for use (like a bullet or a firing range), turned on (like a microphone or camera).
  7. 7
    Relating to excited emotions.
  8. 8
    Relating to excited emotions.
  9. 9
    Relating to excited emotions.
  10. 10
    Relating to excited emotions.
  11. 11
    Relating to excited emotions.
  12. 12
    Relating to popularity, quality, or the state of being interesting.
  13. 13
    Relating to popularity, quality, or the state of being interesting.
  14. 14
    Relating to popularity, quality, or the state of being interesting.
  15. 15
    Relating to popularity, quality, or the state of being interesting.
  16. 16
    Relating to popularity, quality, or the state of being interesting.
  17. 17
    Relating to danger or risk.
  18. 18
    Relating to danger or risk.
  19. 19
    Relating to danger or risk.
  20. 20
    Relating to danger or risk.
  21. 21
    Relating to danger or risk.
  22. 22
    Very close to finding or guessing something to be found or guessed.
  23. 23
    Spicy, pungent, piquant, as some chilis and other spices are.
  24. 24
    Loud, producing a strong electric signal for the amplifier or other sound equipment.
  25. 25
    Used to emphasize the short duration or small quantity of something
  26. 26
    Extremely fast or with great speed.

Etymology

From Middle English hot, hat, from Old English hāt (“hot”), from Proto-West Germanic *hait, from Proto-Germanic *haitaz (“hot”), from Proto-Indo-European *keHy- (“hot; to heat”). Cognate with Scots hate, hait (“hot”), North Frisian hiet (“hot”), Saterland Frisian heet (“hot”), West Frisian hjit (“hot”), Dutch heet (“hot”), German Low German heet (“hot”), German heiß (“hot”), Danish hed (“hot”), Swedish het (“hot”), Icelandic heitur (“hot”). Superseded non-native Middle English chaud, from Old French chaut (“hot”); and early Modern English calent, from Latin calēns (“hot”).

Synonyms

hotcholericheated

Antonyms

chilledchillycoldcold as icefreezingfreezing coldfrigidglacialice-coldicywintry

This word in other languages

caliente(Español)chaud(Français)heiß(Deutsch)quente(Português)

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 "hot"?
"hot" is spelled H-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hɒt/.
What does "hot" mean?
As an adjective, "hot" means: Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.
What words are commonly confused with "hot"?
"hot" is commonly confused with "HR", "HP", "HQ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hot" is /hɒt/. 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 "hot"?
From Middle English hot, hat, from Old English hāt (“hot”), from Proto-West Germanic *hait, from Proto-Germanic *haitaz (“hot”), from Proto-Indo-European *keHy- (“hot; to heat”). Cognate with Scots hate, hait (“hot”), North Frisian hiet (“hot”), 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.

Using “hot”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hɒt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “HR” - see the side-by-side comparison. hot vs HR
  • 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