hurdle

/ˈhɜːdl̩/

//ˈhɜːdl̩// noun

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

"hurdle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hurdle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,938. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,938
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An artificial barrier, variously constructed, over which athletes or horses jump in a race.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hurdle · hurdle · English

hurdle · rank #16,938 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,938
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hypertension

Nearest frequency peer: hypertension (+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 “hurdle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hurdle” 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).

hurdle vs hurl
67% similar
hurdle vs hustle
67% similar
hurdle vs hurley
67% similar

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

Key facts for hurdle
PropertyValue
Headwordhurdle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɜːdl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,938
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hurdle”

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).hurdlelands 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 “hypertension” (#16,939), “hubby” (#16,936), “immersed” (#16,940). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hurdle” is #16,938. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hurdle (IPA /ˈhɜːdl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,938 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hurdle, with forms such as "hhurdle", "hrudle", and "hudrle". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "hurl", "hustle", "hurley", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: ] From Middle English hurdel, hirdel, herdel, hyrdel, from Old English hyrdel (“frame of intertwined twigs used as a temporary barrier”), diminutive of *hyrd, from Proto-Germanic *hurdiz, from Pre-Germanic *kr̥h₂tis, from Proto-Indo-European *kreh₂-. Cognat… The correct English form is hurdle, spelled H-U-R-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An artificial barrier, variously constructed, over which athletes or horses jump in a race.
  2. 2
    An obstacle, real or perceived, physical or abstract.
  3. 3
    A movable frame of wattled twigs, osiers, or withes and stakes, or sometimes of iron, used for enclosing land, for folding sheep and cattle, for gates, etc.; also, in fortification, used as revetments, and for other purposes.
  4. 4
    A sled or crate on which criminals were drawn to the place of execution.
  5. 5
    A piece that is jumped over by a hopper piece.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He ran in the 100 metres hurdles.
  2. My last stop was an outdoor speech to a huge crowd of Ukrainians whom I urged to stay on the course of freedom and economic reform. Kiev was beautiful in the late spring sunshine, and I hoped its people could keep up the high spirits I had observed in the crowd. They still had many hurdles to clear.

Etymology

] From Middle English hurdel, hirdel, herdel, hyrdel, from Old English hyrdel (“frame of intertwined twigs used as a temporary barrier”), diminutive of *hyrd, from Proto-Germanic *hurdiz, from Pre-Germanic *kr̥h₂tis, from Proto-Indo-European *kreh₂-. Cognate with Dutch horde, German Hürde.

This word in other languages

valla(Español)haie(Français)Hürde(Deutsch)obstáculo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhurdle
  • hrudle
  • hudrle
  • hurddle
  • hurdel
  • hurdlle
  • hurlde
  • hurrdle
  • uhrdle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhurdle1hrudle2hudrle2hurddle1hurdel2hurdlle1hurlde2hurrdle1
Edit distance from "hurdle"

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 "hurdle"?
"hurdle" is spelled H-U-R-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɜːdl̩/.
What does "hurdle" mean?
As a noun, "hurdle" means: An artificial barrier, variously constructed, over which athletes or horses jump in a race.
What words are commonly confused with "hurdle"?
"hurdle" is commonly confused with "hurl", "hustle", "hurley". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hurdle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hurdle" is /ˈhɜːdl̩/. 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 "hurdle"?
] From Middle English hurdel, hirdel, herdel, hyrdel, from Old English hyrdel (“frame of intertwined twigs used as a temporary barrier”), diminutive of *hyrd, from Proto-Germanic *hurdiz, from Pre-Germanic *kr̥h₂tis, from Proto-Indo-European *kreh... 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 "hurdle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

helper#16,932Jeanne#16,951kicker#16,952leaned#16,954

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Goodwin9 variantsFresno9 variantsLGBTQ9 variantsfoliage9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list