houndstooth

/ˈhaʊndstuːθ/

//ˈhaʊndstuːθ// noun

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

"houndstooth" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“houndstooth” is uncommon English (frequency #87,379 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,379
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-houndstooth · houndstooth · English

houndstooth · rank #87,379 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,379
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hoult

Nearest frequency peer: hoult (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “houndstooth”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for houndstooth
PropertyValue
Headwordhoundstooth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaʊndstuːθ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#87,379
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “houndstooth” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).houndstoothfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “hoult” (#87,378), “housebound” (#87,380), “Housley” (#87,381). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “houndstooth” is #87,379. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

houndstooth is uncommon English at frequency #87,379 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhaʊndstuːθ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for houndstooth, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hound + -s- + tooth, from its appearance. Although the pattern itself is archaeologically found from time immemorial, the modern term is first attested in 1936. The correct English form is houndstooth, spelled H-O-U-N-D-S-T-O-O-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.
  2. 2
    Fabric with a houndstooth pattern; an item of clothing made with such fabric.
  3. 3
    Hound's tongue, a plant of species Cynoglossum officinale

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Other patterns include varied adaptations of paisleys, Tree of Life motifs, tiles, scenics, patchworks, ticking, soft-edge geometries, sports themes, crewel shapes, houndsteeth, and a plethora of florals.
  2. A houndstooth fabric is composed of tiny, interlocking pinwheel motifs. There are many houndstooth knitting patterns[…]; to add an extra touch to these patterns, work them in nubby or textured yarns.

Etymology

From hound + -s- + tooth, from its appearance. Although the pattern itself is archaeologically found from time immemorial, the modern term is first attested in 1936.

Synonyms

dogstoothdog's toothpied-de-poule

This word in other languages

pied-de-poule(Français)Hahnentritt(Deutsch)

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 "houndstooth"?
"houndstooth" is spelled H-O-U-N-D-S-T-O-O-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaʊndstuːθ/.
What does "houndstooth" mean?
As a noun, "houndstooth" means: A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks.
How do you pronounce "houndstooth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "houndstooth" is /ˈhaʊndstuːθ/. 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 "houndstooth"?
From hound + -s- + tooth, from its appearance. Although the pattern itself is archaeologically found from time immemorial, the modern term is first attested in 1936. 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 "houndstooth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hygroscopic#87,390inhabitable#87,399insincerity#87,403Gandhinagar#87,311

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list