hove

/həʊv/

//həʊv// verb

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

"hove" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hove” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,871 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#27,871
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remain suspended in air, water etc.; to float, to hover.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hove vs hv
50% similar
hove vs how
50% similar
hove vs hue
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hove
PropertyValue
Headwordhove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/həʊv/
Letters4
Frequency rank#27,871
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hove” 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). hove 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 hove is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /həʊv/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,871 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for hove, with forms such as "hhove", "hoev", and "hovve". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hv", "how", "hue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hoven (“to linger, wait, hover, move aside, entertain, cherish, foster”), from Old English *hofian (“to receive into one's house”), from Proto-Germanic *hufōną (“to house, lodge”), from Proto-Germanic *hufą (“hill, height, farm, dwelling… The correct English form is hove, spelled H-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remain suspended in air, water etc.; to float, to hover.
  2. 2
    To wait, linger.
  3. 3
    To move on or by.
  4. 4
    To remain; delay.
  5. 5
    To remain stationary (usually on horseback).

Etymology

From Middle English hoven (“to linger, wait, hover, move aside, entertain, cherish, foster”), from Old English *hofian (“to receive into one's house”), from Proto-Germanic *hufōną (“to house, lodge”), from Proto-Germanic *hufą (“hill, height, farm, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *keup- (“to arch, bend, buckle”). Cognate with Old Frisian hovia (“to receive into one's home, entertain”), Old Dutch hoven (“to receive into one's home, entertain”). Related to Old English hof (“court, house, dwelling”). More at hovel.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhove,hoev,hovve,hvoe,ohve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhove1hoev2hovve1hvoe2ohve2
Edit distance from "hove"

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 "hove"?
"hove" is spelled H-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /həʊv/.
What does "hove" mean?
As a verb, "hove" means: To remain suspended in air, water etc.; to float, to hover.
What words are commonly confused with "hove"?
"hove" is commonly confused with "hv", "how", "hue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hove" is /həʊv/. 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 "hove"?
From Middle English hoven (“to linger, wait, hover, move aside, entertain, cherish, foster”), from Old English *hofian (“to receive into one's house”), from Proto-Germanic *hufōną (“to house, lodge”), from Proto-Germanic *hufą (“hill, height, farm... 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 “hove”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /həʊv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hv” - see the side-by-side comparison. hove vs hv
  • 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