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” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #711) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#711
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to heat and conditions which produce it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hot · hot · English

hot · rank #711 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #711
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hands

Nearest frequency peer: hands (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hot”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hot” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for hot is neighbouring look-alikes ("HR", "HP", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced /hɒt/. Frequency #711 among 2,646 “H” headwords. 26 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He forgot that the frying pan was hot and burned his hand.
  2. It is too hot to be outside.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

boy#688tax#758eat#765won#646

What to do next

You've looked up "hot". Here's where to go from here.

  • "hot" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "HR". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #711 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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