humankind

/ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/

//ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd// noun

"humankind" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“humankind” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,094 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#25,094
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The human race; mankind, humanity; Homo sapiens.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

humankind vs humanoid
78% similar

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

Key facts for humankind
PropertyValue
Headwordhumankind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,094
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “humankind” 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). humankind 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 humankind is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,094 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The human race; mankind, humanity; Homo sapiens.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for humankind, with forms such as "hhumankind", "hmuankind", and "huamnkind". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "humanoid", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From human + -kind. The correct English form is humankind, spelled H-U-M-A-N-K-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The human race; mankind, humanity; Homo sapiens.

Etymology

From human + -kind.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhumankind,hmuankind,huamnkind,humaknind,humaniknd,humankidn,humankindd,humankinnd,humankkind,humanknid,humannkind,hummankind,humnakind,uhmankind

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhumankind1hmuankind2huamnkind2humaknind2humaniknd2humankidn2humankindd1humankinnd1
Edit distance from "humankind"

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 "humankind"?
"humankind" is spelled H-U-M-A-N-K-I-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/.
What does "humankind" mean?
As a noun, "humankind" means: The human race; mankind, humanity; Homo sapiens.
What words are commonly confused with "humankind"?
"humankind" is commonly confused with "humanoid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "humankind"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "humankind" is /ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/. 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 "humankind"?
From human + -kind. 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 “humankind”

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

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