hourglass

Name: hourglass, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈaʊəɡlɑːs/

//ˈaʊəɡlɑːs// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“hourglass” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,034. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,034
frequency rank, English: 2,646
“H” headwords: 12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A clock made of two glass vessels connected by a narrow passage through which sand flows.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hourglass · hourglass · English

hourglass · rank #32,034 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #32,034
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-MID 12 variants
BOOK-MID 2,646
PHOTO-FINISH hooves

Nearest frequency peer: hooves (-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.

Honeywell

67,969
hooves

67,968
hourglass

67,967
hygienic

67,965
idiocy

67,964
imitated

67,963

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

Key facts for hourglass
Property	Value
Headword	hourglass
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈaʊəɡlɑːs/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#32,034
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hourglass”

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).hourglasslands here:

#32,034

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “hooves” (#32,033), “Honeywell” (#32,032), “hygienic” (#32,036). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hourglass” is #32,034. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around hourglass (IPA /ˈaʊəɡlɑːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,034 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for hourglass, with forms such as "hhourglass", "horuglass", and "hougrlass". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hour + glass. The correct English form is hourglass, spelled H-O-U-R-G-L-A-S-S.

Definition

1
A clock made of two glass vessels connected by a narrow passage through which sand flows.
2
A cursor, often shaped like an hourglass, indicating that the computer is busy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

After each game turn, invert the hourglass to reset the time limit for the next player.
The sands of thy short life are spent this hour, / And no hand in the universe can turn / Thy hourglass, if these gummed leaves be burnt / Ere thou canst mount up these immortal steps.

Etymology

From hour + glass.

This word in other languages

ampolleta(Español)sablier(Français)Sanduhr(Deutsch)ampulheta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

hhourglass
horuglass
hougrlass
hourgalss
hourgglass
hourglas
hourgllass
hourglsas
hourlgass
hourrglass
huorglass
ohurglass

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hourglass - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "hourglass"

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 "hourglass"?

"hourglass" is spelled H-O-U-R-G-L-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaʊəɡlɑːs/.

What does "hourglass" mean?

As a noun, "hourglass" means: A clock made of two glass vessels connected by a narrow passage through which sand flows.

What are common misspellings of "hourglass"?

Common misspellings include "hhourglass", "horuglass", "hougrlass", "hourgalss", "hourgglass". The correct spelling is "hourglass".

How do you pronounce "hourglass"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hourglass" is /ˈaʊəɡlɑːs/. 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 "hourglass"?

From hour + glass. 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 "hourglass", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Honeywell#32,032 hermitage#32,028 Harrogate#32,025 Guillaume#32,020

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

hygienic12 variants intersex12 variants Guadalupe12 variants lakeland12 variants