hump

/hʌmp/

//hʌmp// noun

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

"hump" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hump” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,103 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,103
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A mound of earth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hump vs hut
50% similar
hump vs hun
50% similar
hump vs Hur
25% similar

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

Key facts for hump
PropertyValue
Headwordhump
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hʌmp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#18,103
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hump” 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). hump 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 hump is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hʌmp/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,103 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for hump, with forms such as "hhump", "hmup", and "hummp". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hut", "hun", "Hur", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably borrowed from Dutch homp (“hump, lump”) or Middle Low German hump (“heap, hill, stump”), from Old Saxon *hump (“hill, heap, thick piece”), from Proto-Germanic *humpaz (“hip, height”), from Proto-Indo-European *kumb- (“curved”). Compare Proto-German… The correct English form is hump, spelled H-U-M-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mound of earth.
  2. 2
    A speed bump or speed hump.
  3. 3
    A deformity in humans caused by abnormal curvature of the upper spine.
  4. 4
    A rounded fleshy mass, such as on a camel or zebu.
  5. 5
    An act of sexual intercourse.
  6. 6
    A bad mood.
  7. 7
    A painfully boorish person.
  8. 8
    A wave that forms in front of an operating hovercraft and impedes progress at low speeds.

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Dutch homp (“hump, lump”) or Middle Low German hump (“heap, hill, stump”), from Old Saxon *hump (“hill, heap, thick piece”), from Proto-Germanic *humpaz (“hip, height”), from Proto-Indo-European *kumb- (“curved”). Compare Proto-Germanic *huppōną (“to hop”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewb-, *ḱewb- (unnasalised root), and English hub (a softened variant without nasal?). Cognate with West Frisian hompe (“lump, chunk”), Icelandic huppur (“flank”), Welsh cwm (“a hollow”), Latin incumbō (“to lie down”), Albanian sumbull (“round button, bud”), Ancient Greek κύμβη (kúmbē, “bowl”), Avestan 𐬑𐬎𐬨𐬠𐬀 (xumba, “pot”), Sanskrit कुम्ब (kúmba, “thick end of bone”). Replaced, and perhaps influenced by, Old English crump (“crooked, bent”). More at cramp.

Synonyms

gibboushumpbackhunchhunchback

This word in other languages

joroba(Español)bosse(Français)Hügel(Deutsch)corcova(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhump,hmup,hummp,humpp,hupm,uhmp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hump - 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.

hhump1hmup2hummp1humpp1hupm2uhmp2
Edit distance from "hump"

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 "hump"?
"hump" is spelled H-U-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /hʌmp/.
What does "hump" mean?
As a noun, "hump" means: A mound of earth.
What words are commonly confused with "hump"?
"hump" is commonly confused with "hut", "hun", "Hur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hump"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hump" is /hʌmp/. 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 "hump"?
Probably borrowed from Dutch homp (“hump, lump”) or Middle Low German hump (“heap, hill, stump”), from Old Saxon *hump (“hill, heap, thick piece”), from Proto-Germanic *humpaz (“hip, height”), from Proto-Indo-European *kumb- (“curved”). Compare Pr... 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 “hump”

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

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