howitzer

/ˈhaʊ.ɪts.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈhaʊ.ɪts.ə(ɹ)// noun

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

"howitzer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“howitzer” is uncommon English (frequency #53,606 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,606
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cannon that combines certain characteristics of field guns and mortars, delivering projectiles with medium velocities, usually with relatively high trajectories; normally a cannon with a tube len...

Corpus desk

Index EN-howitzer · howitzer · English

howitzer · rank #53,606 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,606
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hori

Nearest frequency peer: hori (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “howitzer”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “howitzer” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for howitzer
PropertyValue
Headwordhowitzer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaʊ.ɪts.ə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#53,606
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “howitzer” in English

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).howitzerfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “hori” (#53,604), “hugger” (#53,608), “Humvee” (#53,609). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “howitzer” is #53,606. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

howitzer is uncommon English at frequency #53,606 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhaʊ.ɪts.ə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for howitzer in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch houwitser, from German Haubitze, from Middle High German haufniz, from Czech houfnice, which was derived from houf (“flock, crowd”) + -nice. The Czech noun houf comes from Middle High German hufe (“heap”), from Old High German hūfo. The correct English form is howitzer, spelled H-O-W-I-T-Z-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cannon that combines certain characteristics of field guns and mortars, delivering projectiles with medium velocities, usually with relatively high trajectories; normally a cannon with a tube length of 20 to 30 calibers.
  2. 2
    A powerfully hit shot.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Belgium took a little while to catch Scotland with the first of the howitzer blows, but when the first one landed there was a certainty of more. Many more.

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch houwitser, from German Haubitze, from Middle High German haufniz, from Czech houfnice, which was derived from houf (“flock, crowd”) + -nice. The Czech noun houf comes from Middle High German hufe (“heap”), from Old High German hūfo.

This word in other languages

obús(Español)obusier(Français)Haubitze(Deutsch)obus(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 "howitzer"?
"howitzer" is spelled H-O-W-I-T-Z-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaʊ.ɪts.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "howitzer" mean?
As a noun, "howitzer" means: A cannon that combines certain characteristics of field guns and mortars, delivering projectiles with medium velocities, usually with relatively high trajectories; normally a cannon with a tube len...
How do you pronounce "howitzer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "howitzer" is /ˈhaʊ.ɪts.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "howitzer"?
Borrowed from Dutch houwitser, from German Haubitze, from Middle High German haufniz, from Czech houfnice, which was derived from houf (“flock, crowd”) + -nice. The Czech noun houf comes from Middle High German hufe (“heap”), from Old High German ... 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 "howitzer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

heraldry#53,597Heracles#53,596innately#53,621Hadfield#53,588

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list