# hunger

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhʌŋɡə/ · frequency rank #6,058

## Definitions
1. A need or compelling desire for food.
2. Any strong desire or need.

## Etymology
From Middle English hunger, from Old English hungor (“hunger, desire; famine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hungruz, *hunhruz (“hunger”), from Proto-Indo-European *kenk- (“to burn, smart, desire, hunger, thirst”).
Cognate with West Frisian honger, hûnger (“hunger”), Dutch honger (“hunger”), German Low German Hunger (“hunger”), German Hunger (“hunger”), Swedish hunger (“hunger”), Icelandic hungur (“hunger”).

## Easily confused with
- **hungry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hunger-vs-hungry)
- **hunter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hunger-vs-hunter)
- **hunted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hunger-vs-hunted)
- **hunters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hunger-vs-hunters)
- **hungover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hunger-vs-hungover)
- **huge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/huge-vs-hunger)
- **hung** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hung-vs-hunger)
- **hinge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hinge-vs-hunger)
- **Huber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/huber-vs-hunger)
- **hanged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hanged-vs-hunger)
- **hugged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hugged-vs-hunger)
- **hinder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hinder-vs-hunger)
- **hinges** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hinges-vs-hunger)
- **hangar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hangar-vs-hunger)
- **hanger** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hanger-vs-hunger)
- **hinged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hinged-vs-hunger)
- **hander** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hander-vs-hunger)
- **Humber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/humber-vs-hunger)
- **hummer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hummer-vs-hunger)
- **Hungary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hungary-vs-hunger)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hhunger`, `hnuger`, `hugner`, `hunegr`, `hungerr`, `hungger`, `hungre`, `hunnger`, `uhnger`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hunger