how

/haʊ/

//haʊ// adv

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

"how" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“how” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #67 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#67
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To what degree or extent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

how vs HR
0% similar
how vs HP
0% similar
how vs HQ
0% similar

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

Key facts for how
PropertyValue
Headwordhow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/haʊ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#67
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “how” 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). how 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 how is 3 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /haʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #67 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

how has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HR", "HP", "HQ", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- Proto-Indo-European *kʷís Proto-Germanic *hwō Old English hū Middle English how English how From Middle English how, hou, hu, hwu, from Old English hū, from Proto-West Germanic *hwō, from Proto-Germanic *hwō (“through… The correct English form is how, spelled H-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To what degree or extent.
  2. 2
    In what manner
  3. 3
    In what manner:
  4. 4
    In what manner:
  5. 5
    In what manner:
  6. 6
    In what manner:
  7. 7
    In what manner:
  8. 8
    In what manner:
  9. 9
    In what state or condition.
  10. 10
    In the manner in which.
  11. 11
    In any manner in which; in whatever way; however.
  12. 12
    In which.
  13. 13
    Used as a modifier to indicate surprise, delight, or other strong feelings in an exclamation.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- Proto-Indo-European *kʷís Proto-Germanic *hwō Old English hū Middle English how English how From Middle English how, hou, hu, hwu, from Old English hū, from Proto-West Germanic *hwō, from Proto-Germanic *hwō (“through what, how”), from the same root as hwæt (“who, what”). /hw/ > /h/ due to wh-cluster reduction in Old English; compare who, which underwent this change later, and thus is spelt wh (Middle English spelling of /hw/) but pronounced /h/ (it previously had a different vowel, hence avoided the spelling and sound change in Old English). Vowel change per Great Vowel Shift. Akin to Scots hoo, foo (“how”), North Frisian ho, hü, hur (“how”), Saterland Frisian wo (“how”), West Frisian hoe (“how”), Dutch hoe (“how”), Low German ho, wo, wu (“how”), German wie (“how”), Swedish hur (“how”). See who and compare why.

This word in other languages

cuán(Español)comment(Français)wie(Deutsch)quanto(Português)

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 "how"?
"how" is spelled H-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /haʊ/.
What does "how" mean?
As an adverb, "how" means: To what degree or extent.
What words are commonly confused with "how"?
"how" is commonly confused with "HR", "HP", "HQ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "how"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "how" is /haʊ/. 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 "how"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- Proto-Indo-European *kʷís Proto-Germanic *hwō Old English hū Middle English how English how From Middle English how, hou, hu, hwu, from Old English hū, from Proto-West Germanic *hwō, from Proto-Germanic *hwō... 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 “how”

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

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