humane

/hjuːˈmeɪn/

//hjuːˈmeɪn// adj

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

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

The verdict

“humane” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,619 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#12,619
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

humane vs Hume
50% similar
humane vs Hyman
50% similar
humane vs Hunan
50% similar

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

Key facts for humane
PropertyValue
Headwordhumane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/hjuːˈmeɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,619
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “humane” 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). humane 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 humane is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hjuːˈmeɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,619 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for humane, with forms such as "hhumane", "hmuane", and "huamne". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Hume", "Hyman", "Hunan", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English humain, humayne, from Old French humain, umain, from Latin hūmānus, from Latin homō (“man”). Cognate with Old English guma (“man”), whence the groom in English bridegroom. The correct English form is humane, spelled H-U-M-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the humanities, especially classical literature or rhetoric.
  3. 3
    Obsolete spelling of human.

Etymology

From Middle English humain, humayne, from Old French humain, umain, from Latin hūmānus, from Latin homō (“man”). Cognate with Old English guma (“man”), whence the groom in English bridegroom.

Synonyms

mankindly

Antonyms

inhumaninhumanenonhumane

This word in other languages

humano(Español)humain(Français)human(Deutsch)humano(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhumane,hmuane,huamne,humaen,humanne,hummane,humnae,uhmane

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of humane - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hhumane1hmuane2huamne2humaen2humanne1hummane1humnae2uhmane2
Edit distance from "humane"

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 "humane"?
"humane" is spelled H-U-M-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /hjuːˈmeɪn/.
What does "humane" mean?
As an adjective, "humane" means: Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.
What words are commonly confused with "humane"?
"humane" is commonly confused with "Hume", "Hyman", "Hunan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "humane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "humane" is /hjuːˈmeɪn/. 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 "humane"?
From Middle English humain, humayne, from Old French humain, umain, from Latin hūmānus, from Latin homō (“man”). Cognate with Old English guma (“man”), whence the groom in English bridegroom. 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 “humane”

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

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