Humphrey

/ˈhʌmfɹi/

//ˈhʌmfɹi// name

"humphrey" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Humphrey” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,768. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,768
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name from the Germanic languages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-humphrey · Humphrey · English

Humphrey · rank #14,768 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,768
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH inbox

Nearest frequency peer: inbox (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Humphrey”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Humphrey” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Humphrey vs Humphreys
89% similar
Humphrey vs Humphries
78% similar

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

Key facts for Humphrey
PropertyValue
HeadwordHumphrey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈhʌmfɹi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,768
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Humphrey”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Humphreylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “inbox” (#14,769), “incidentally” (#14,770), “glamour” (#14,765). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “Humphrey” is #14,768. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around Humphrey (IPA /ˈhʌmfɹi/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #14,768 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Humphrey, with forms such as "hhumphrey", "hmuphrey", and "humhprey". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Humphreys", "Humphries", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Name of a 9th-century French saint, brought to England by Normans; Proto-Germanic *unnaną (“to grant, bestow”) + *friþuz (“peace”). In Ireland it has been used to Anglicize Irish Amhlaoibh (= Olaf). The correct English form is Humphrey, spelled H-U-M-P-H-R-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from the Germanic languages.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I neuer ſaw but Humfrey Duke of Gloſter, / Did beare him like a Noble Gentleman: […]
  2. "Hump?" I asked. "Humphrey, really. But everybody calls him Hump. I know a lot of people who avoid calling him by his first name. For a long time people didn't think it was quite proper. But nowadays nobody seems to mind. What's happening to the power of words, Benny? Time was I used to blush at the words scrawled on fences, and now I hear them—everywhere…

Etymology

Name of a 9th-century French saint, brought to England by Normans; Proto-Germanic *unnaną (“to grant, bestow”) + *friþuz (“peace”). In Ireland it has been used to Anglicize Irish Amhlaoibh (= Olaf).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhumphrey
  • hmuphrey
  • humhprey
  • hummphrey
  • humphery
  • humphhrey
  • humphreyy
  • humphrrey
  • humphrye
  • humpphrey
  • humprhey
  • hupmhrey
  • uhmphrey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Humphrey - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hhumphrey1hmuphrey2humhprey2hummphrey1humphery2humphhrey1humphreyy1humphrrey1
Edit distance from "Humphrey"

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 "Humphrey"?
"Humphrey" is spelled H-U-M-P-H-R-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌmfɹi/.
What does "Humphrey" mean?
As a proper noun, "Humphrey" means: A male given name from the Germanic languages.
What words are commonly confused with "Humphrey"?
"Humphrey" is commonly confused with "Humphreys", "Humphries". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Humphrey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Humphrey" is /ˈhʌmfɹi/. 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 "Humphrey"?
Name of a 9th-century French saint, brought to England by Normans; Proto-Germanic *unnaną (“to grant, bestow”) + *friþuz (“peace”). In Ireland it has been used to Anglicize Irish Amhlaoibh (= Olaf). 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 "Humphrey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list