howler

/ˈhaʊlɚ/

//ˈhaʊlɚ// noun

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

"howler" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“howler” is uncommon English (frequency #52,386 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,386
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey.

Corpus desk

Index EN-howler · howler · English

howler · rank #52,386 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,386
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH housemaid

Nearest frequency peer: housemaid (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “howler”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for howler
PropertyValue
Headwordhowler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaʊlɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#52,386
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “howler” 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).howlerfalls 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: “housemaid” (#52,385), “hubbub” (#52,387), “hosiery” (#52,384). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “howler” is #52,386. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

howler is uncommon English at frequency #52,386 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhaʊlɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 12 senses are on record.

howler has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From howl + -er. Some senses are derivatives of the intensifier "howling", as in "howling wilderness", (Deuteronomy 32:10) The correct English form is howler, spelled H-O-W-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey.
  2. 2
    A person hired to howl in mourning at a funeral.
  3. 3
    A painfully obvious mistake.
  4. 4
    A hilarious joke.
  5. 5
    A bitterly cold day.
  6. 6
    A person who expresses aggression openly in the form of threats.
  7. 7
    A heavy fall.
  8. 8
    A serious accident (especially to come a howler or go a howler; compare come a cropper).
  9. 9
    A tremendous lie (especially an obvious one); a whopper.
  10. 10
    A fashionably but extravagantly overdressed man, a "howling swell".
  11. 11
    A 32-ounce ceramic, plastic, or stainless steel jug used to transport draft beer.
  12. 12
    A small child.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Given what we know about cognitive psychology, utility maximization is a ludicrous concept; equilibrium pretty foolish outside of financial markets; perfect competition a howler for most industries.
  2. I should like to thank Jianmei Piao of the Stanford University Libraries for reading the entire translation and checking it against the Chinese. Jianmei caught some howlers for which I am very grateful.

Etymology

From howl + -er. Some senses are derivatives of the intensifier "howling", as in "howling wilderness", (Deuteronomy 32:10)

This word in other languages

hurleur(Français)

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 "howler"?
"howler" is spelled H-O-W-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaʊlɚ/.
What does "howler" mean?
As a noun, "howler" means: That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey.
How do you pronounce "howler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "howler" is /ˈhaʊlɚ/. 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 "howler"?
From howl + -er. Some senses are derivatives of the intensifier "howling", as in "howling wilderness", (Deuteronomy 32:10) 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 "howler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hubbub#52,387Hitomi#52,380Hendon#52,375Harkin#52,367

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list