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hummel

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "hummel", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "hummel" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "hummel" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

hummel is aEnglishnoun. It means: A stag that has failed to grow antlers; a cow that has not developed horns. Pronounced /ˈhʌm(ə)l/. Often confused with hummus and hummer.

Key facts for hummel
PropertyValue
Headwordhummel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhʌm(ə)l/
Letters6
Frequency rank#46,528
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of hummel in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hummel is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhʌm(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #46,528 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for hummel, with forms such as "hhummel", "hmumel", and "humel". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "hummus", "hummer", "Hume", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Middle English hamelen (“to maim, mutilate; to cut short”), from Old English hamelian (“to hamstring, mutilate”), from Proto-Germanic *hamalōną, *hamlōną (“to mutilate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kem- (“hornless; mutilated”). Cognate with Dut… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is hummel, spelled H-U-M-M-E-L, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stag that has failed to grow antlers; a cow that has not developed horns.
  2. 2
    Especially in hummel corn: grain that lacks awns (beards or bristles), or has had its awns removed (barley, oats, etc.).

Etymology

Probably from Middle English hamelen (“to maim, mutilate; to cut short”), from Old English hamelian (“to hamstring, mutilate”), from Proto-Germanic *hamalōną, *hamlōną (“to mutilate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kem- (“hornless; mutilated”). Cognate with Dutch hamel (“wether”), English hamble, Low German hommel, hummel (“an animal lacking horns”), humlich, dialectal hommlich (“lacking horns”), Bavarian humlet (“lacking horns”), German hammeln, hämmeln (“to geld”), Icelandic hamla (“to maim, mutilate”). OxfordDictionaries.com suggests that the “ear of grain with its awns removed” sense preceded the “animal without antlers or horns” sense.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhummel,hmumel,humel,humeml,hummell,hummle,uhmmel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for hummel

Misspelling Variants of "hummel"

hhummel7hmumel6humel5humeml6hummell7hummle6uhmmel6
Misspelling Variants of "hummel"

Frequency rank: #46,528 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hummel"?
"hummel" is spelled H-U-M-M-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌm(ə)l/.
What does "hummel" mean?
As a noun, "hummel" means: A stag that has failed to grow antlers; a cow that has not developed horns.
What words are commonly confused with "hummel"?
"hummel" is commonly confused with "hummus", "hummer", "Hume". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hummel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hummel" is /ˈhʌm(ə)l/. 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 "hummel"?
Probably from Middle English hamelen (“to maim, mutilate; to cut short”), from Old English hamelian (“to hamstring, mutilate”), from Proto-Germanic *hamalōną, *hamlōną (“to mutilate”), from Proto-Indo-European *kem- (“hornless; mutilated”). Cognat... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter H in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.