however

/haʊˈɛvə/

//haʊˈɛvə// adv

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

"however" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“however” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #237. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#237
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nevertheless; yet, still; in spite of that.

Corpus desk

Index EN-however · however · English

however · rank #237 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #237
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH done

Nearest frequency peer: done (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “however”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “however” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

however vs hover
71% similar
however vs Hoover
57% similar

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

Key facts for however
PropertyValue
Headwordhowever
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/haʊˈɛvə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#237
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “however” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).howeverlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “done” (#236), “getting” (#238), “thought” (#235). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around however (IPA /haʊˈɛvə/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #237 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for however, with forms such as "hhowever", "hoewver", and "howeevr". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "hover", "Hoover", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English however, how-ever, how-evere; equivalent to how + ever. Compare howsoever. The correct English form is however, spelled H-O-W-E-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nevertheless; yet, still; in spite of that.
  2. 2
    In contrast.
  3. 3
    Regardless of how; no matter how
  4. 4
    Regardless of how; regardless of the way in which.
  5. 5
    In any way in which; how.
  6. 6
    In any way that one likes or chooses; in a haphazard or spontaneous way.
  7. 7
    How ever: an emphatic form of how, used to ask in what manner.
  8. 8
    In any case, at any rate, at all events.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He told me not to do it. However, I did it anyway. / I did it anyway, however. / I, however, did it anyway.
  2. She wanted to go; however, she decided against it.

Etymology

From Middle English however, how-ever, how-evere; equivalent to how + ever. Compare howsoever.

This word in other languages

sin embargo(Español)cependant(Français)jedoch(Deutsch)entretanto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhowever
  • hoewver
  • howeevr
  • howeverr
  • howevre
  • howevver
  • howveer
  • howwever
  • hwoever
  • ohwever

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhowever1hoewver2howeevr2howeverr1howevre2howevver1howveer2howwever1
Edit distance from "however"

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 "however"?
"however" is spelled H-O-W-E-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /haʊˈɛvə/.
What does "however" mean?
As an adverb, "however" means: Nevertheless; yet, still; in spite of that.
What words are commonly confused with "however"?
"however" is commonly confused with "hover", "Hoover". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "however"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "however" is /haʊˈɛvə/. 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 "however"?
From Middle English however, how-ever, how-evere; equivalent to how + ever. Compare howsoever. 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 "however", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

getting#238thought#235looking#242company#224

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

business10 variantssystem10 variantsalready10 variantsthere's10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "however". Here's where to go from here.

  • "however" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "hover". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #237 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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