husbandry

/ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi/

//ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi// noun

"husbandry" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“husbandry” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,606 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#31,606
frequency rank, English
9
letters
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The occupation or work of a husbandman or farmer; the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock; agriculture.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

husbandry vs husbands
78% similar
husbandry vs husband
78% similar

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

Key facts for husbandry
PropertyValue
Headwordhusbandry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#31,606
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “husbandry” 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). husbandry 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 husbandry is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,606 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for husbandry, with forms such as "hhusbandry", "hsubandry", and "hubsandry". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "husbands", "husband", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hus-bō̆ndrī, hus-bō̆ndrīe, husbanderi, husbonderie, housbondrye, housebondrie (“household management, housekeeping; household duties; economy, skilful management, thrift; farm management, agriculture, farming; cultivation; household arti… The correct English form is husbandry, spelled H-U-S-B-A-N-D-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The occupation or work of a husbandman or farmer; the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock; agriculture.
  2. 2
    The prudent management or conservation of resources.
  3. 3
    Administration or management of day-to-day matters.
  4. 4
    Agricultural or cultivated land.
  5. 5
    Techniques of animal care.

Etymology

From Middle English hus-bō̆ndrī, hus-bō̆ndrīe, husbanderi, husbonderie, housbondrye, housebondrie (“household management, housekeeping; household duties; economy, skilful management, thrift; farm management, agriculture, farming; cultivation; household articles; husbands collectively”), from hǒus-bō̆nd, hǒus-bō̆nde (“male spouse, husband; master of a house; male head of a household; man having charge of something, household manager; (figuratively) host, inhabitant, resident; bondsman, villein; farmer, husbandman”) (see further at husband) + -rīe (suffix forming nouns collectively denoting members or practitioners of a craft or profession). By surface analysis, husband + -ry.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhusbandry,hsubandry,hubsandry,husabndry,husbadnry,husbanddry,husbandrry,husbandryy,husbandyr,husbanndry,husbanrdy,husbbandry,husbnadry,hussbandry,uhsbandry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhusbandry1hsubandry2hubsandry2husabndry2husbadnry2husbanddry1husbandrry1husbandryy1
Edit distance from "husbandry"

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 "husbandry"?
"husbandry" is spelled H-U-S-B-A-N-D-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi/.
What does "husbandry" mean?
As a noun, "husbandry" means: The occupation or work of a husbandman or farmer; the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock; agriculture.
What words are commonly confused with "husbandry"?
"husbandry" is commonly confused with "husbands", "husband". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "husbandry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "husbandry" is /ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi/. 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 "husbandry"?
From Middle English hus-bō̆ndrī, hus-bō̆ndrīe, husbanderi, husbonderie, housbondrye, housebondrie (“household management, housekeeping; household duties; economy, skilful management, thrift; farm management, agriculture, farming; cultivation; hous... 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 “husbandry”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-U-S-B-A-N-D-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhʌzb(ə)ndɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “husbands” - see the side-by-side comparison. husbandry vs husbands
  • 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