hotch

/hɒtʃ/

//hɒtʃ// verb

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

"hotch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hotch” is uncommon English (frequency #73,276 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,276
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To move irregularly up and down.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hotch · hotch · English

hotch · rank #73,276 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,276
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hospitalisati…

Nearest frequency peer: hospitalisation (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “hotch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hotch” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hotch
PropertyValue
Headwordhotch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/hɒtʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#73,276
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hotch” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).hotchfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “hospitalisation” (#73,273), “humorless” (#73,279), “hydrodynamics” (#73,280). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hotch” is #73,276. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hotch is uncommon English at frequency #73,276 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /hɒtʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for hotch in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman hocher, Middle French hocher, from a Germanic source (compare Dutch hutsen, hossen, German hotzen). The correct English form is hotch, spelled H-O-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move irregularly up and down.
  2. 2
    To swarm (with).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. What if I went up? Imagine nobody had done it before. It would be hotching with balls and stuff, hundreds of things.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman hocher, Middle French hocher, from a Germanic source (compare Dutch hutsen, hossen, German hotzen).

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 "hotch"?
"hotch" is spelled H-O-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /hɒtʃ/.
What does "hotch" mean?
As a verb, "hotch" means: To move irregularly up and down.
How do you pronounce "hotch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hotch" is /hɒtʃ/. 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 "hotch"?
From Anglo-Norman hocher, Middle French hocher, from a Germanic source (compare Dutch hutsen, hossen, German hotzen). 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 "hotch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

homed#73,270Hinch#73,262hacky#73,248jiggy#73,319

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list