ohana

/əˈhɑːnə/

//əˈhɑːnə// noun

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

The verdict

“ohana” is uncommon English (frequency #67,700 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,700
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An extended Hawaiian family unit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ohana · ohana · English

ohana · rank #67,700 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,700
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH OIS

Nearest frequency peer: OIS (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “ohana”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ohana” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ohana
PropertyValue
Headwordohana
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈhɑːnə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#67,700
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ohana” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ohanafalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “OIS” (#67,701), “offscreen” (#67,698), “oceanographer” (#67,697). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ohana” is #67,700. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ohana is uncommon English at frequency #67,700 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈhɑːnə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An extended Hawaiian family unit.".

Zero misspellings are on record for ohana in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻohana (“family, kin”). The correct English form is ohana, spelled O-H-A-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An extended Hawaiian family unit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [U]nder the leadership of Ka Lahui Hawai'i headed by attorney Mililani Trask, various Native Hawaiian organizations, ohanas, and individuals formed a loose coalition that some refer to as the Hawaiian Nation within a Nation.
  2. The ancient Hawaiian society that began around the sixth century and lasted until around 1000 A.D. was based on the extended family group, the ʻohana, living and working cooperatively on the ahupuaʻa under the leadership of the most respected person in the group, the haku. Most members of the ohana were engaged in agriculture, some in fishing, and some we…

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻohana (“family, kin”).

This word in other languages

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 "ohana"?
"ohana" is spelled O-H-A-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈhɑːnə/.
What does "ohana" mean?
As a noun, "ohana" means: An extended Hawaiian family unit.
How do you pronounce "ohana"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ohana" is /əˈhɑːnə/. 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 "ohana"?
Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻohana (“family, kin”). 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 "ohana", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list