hunch

/hʌnt͡ʃ/

//hʌnt͡ʃ// noun

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

"hunch" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hunch” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,466. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,466
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hump; a protuberance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hunch · hunch · English

hunch · rank #26,466 · 8 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,466
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH humanist

Nearest frequency peer: humanist (-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 “hunch”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hunch” 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).

hunch vs hunt
60% similar
hunch vs hung
60% similar
hunch vs hush
60% similar

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

Key facts for hunch
PropertyValue
Headwordhunch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hʌnt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#26,466
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hunch”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).hunchlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “humanist” (#26,465), “Huntsville” (#26,467), “horseman” (#26,464). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hunch” is #26,466. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around hunch (IPA /hʌnt͡ʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,466 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hunch, with forms such as "hhunch", "hnuch", and "hucnh". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "hunt", "hung", "hush", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Assibilated variant of hunk, of uncertain origin. Alternatively, a derivative of hump, via an earlier Middle English *hunche, *humpchin, from *hump + -chin, -chen (diminutive suffix), equivalent to hump + -kin. In the sense of an intuitive impression, said … The correct English form is hunch, spelled H-U-N-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hump; a protuberance.
  2. 2
    A stooped or curled posture; a slouch.
  3. 3
    A theory, idea, or guess; an intuitive impression that something will happen.
  4. 4
    A hunk; a lump; a thick piece.
  5. 5
    A push or thrust, as with the elbow.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The old man walked with a hunch.
  2. I have a hunch they'll find a way to solve the problem.

Etymology

Assibilated variant of hunk, of uncertain origin. Alternatively, a derivative of hump, via an earlier Middle English *hunche, *humpchin, from *hump + -chin, -chen (diminutive suffix), equivalent to hump + -kin. In the sense of an intuitive impression, said to be from the old gambling superstition that it brings luck to touch the hump of a hunchback.

Synonyms

hintclueinkling

This word in other languages

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

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhunch
  • hnuch
  • hucnh
  • huncch
  • hunchh
  • hunhc
  • hunnch
  • uhnch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhunch1hnuch2hucnh2huncch1hunchh1hunhc2hunnch1uhnch2
Edit distance from "hunch"

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 "hunch"?
"hunch" is spelled H-U-N-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /hʌnt͡ʃ/.
What does "hunch" mean?
As a noun, "hunch" means: A hump; a protuberance.
What words are commonly confused with "hunch"?
"hunch" is commonly confused with "hunt", "hung", "hush". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hunch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hunch" is /hʌnt͡ʃ/. 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 "hunch"?
Assibilated variant of hunk, of uncertain origin. Alternatively, a derivative of hump, via an earlier Middle English *hunche, *humpchin, from *hump + -chin, -chen (diminutive suffix), equivalent to hump + -kin. In the sense of an intuitive impress... 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 "hunch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Higgs#26,460hells#26,457loner#26,495fuses#26,436

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

heiress8 variantsKeenan8 variantsLolita8 variantsGaines8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list