housekeeper

/ˈhaʊskipɚ/

//ˈhaʊskipɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“housekeeper” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,859 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,859
frequency rank, English
11
letters
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone (traditionally a woman) employed to look after the home, typically by managing domestic servants or superintending household management; also someone with equivalent duties in a hotel, inst...

Key facts for housekeeper
PropertyValue
Headwordhousekeeper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaʊskipɚ/
Letters11
Frequency rank#19,859
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “housekeeper” 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). housekeeper 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 housekeeper is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhaʊskipɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,859 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for housekeeper, with forms such as "hhousekeeper", "hosuekeeper", and "houeskeeper". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From house + keeper. The correct English form is housekeeper, spelled H-O-U-S-E-K-E-E-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone (traditionally a woman) employed to look after the home, typically by managing domestic servants or superintending household management; also someone with equivalent duties in a hotel, institution etc.
  2. 2
    Someone who manages the running of a home, traditionally the female head of the household.
  3. 3
    Someone who keeps to their house; someone who rarely ventures away from home; an unadventurous person, a homebody.
  4. 4
    Someone who owns a house as a place of residence; a householder.

Etymology

From house + keeper.

This word in other languages

gouvernante(Français)Haushälterin(Deutsch)governanta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhousekeeper,hosuekeeper,houeskeeper,houseekeper,housekeeepr,housekeeperr,housekeepper,housekeepre,housekepeer,housekeper,housekkeeper,houskeeeper,houssekeeper,huosekeeper,ohusekeeper

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of housekeeper - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hhousekeeper1hosuekeeper2houeskeeper2houseekeper2housekeeepr2housekeeperr1housekeepper1housekeepre2
Edit distance from "housekeeper"

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 "housekeeper"?
"housekeeper" is spelled H-O-U-S-E-K-E-E-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaʊskipɚ/.
What does "housekeeper" mean?
As a noun, "housekeeper" means: Someone (traditionally a woman) employed to look after the home, typically by managing domestic servants or superintending household management; also someone with equivalent duties in a hotel, inst...
What are common misspellings of "housekeeper"?
Common misspellings include "hhousekeeper", "hosuekeeper", "houeskeeper", "houseekeper", "housekeeepr". The correct spelling is "housekeeper".
How do you pronounce "housekeeper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "housekeeper" is /ˈhaʊskipɚ/. 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 "housekeeper"?
From house + keeper. 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 “housekeeper”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-U-S-E-K-E-E-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhaʊskipɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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