rehab

/ˈɹiːhæb/

//ˈɹiːhæb// noun

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

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

The verdict

“rehab” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,807. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,807
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rehabilitation, especially to treat the use of recreational drugs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rehab · rehab · English

rehab · rank #9,807 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,807
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH receptor

Nearest frequency peer: receptor (-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 “rehab”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rehab” 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).

rehab vs Reza
40% similar
rehab vs relax
60% similar
rehab vs relay
60% similar

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

Key facts for rehab
PropertyValue
Headwordrehab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹiːhæb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,807
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rehab”

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).rehablands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “receptor” (#9,806), “remake” (#9,808), “raven” (#9,805). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rehab” is #9,807. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around rehab (IPA /ˈɹiːhæb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,807 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for rehab, with forms such as "erhab", "reahb", and "rehabb". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "Reza", "relax", "relay", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of rehabilitation. The correct English form is rehab, spelled R-E-H-A-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rehabilitation, especially to treat the use of recreational drugs.
  2. 2
    An institution for rehabilitation.
  3. 3
    A brief period of time spent away from the fire by a firefighter at a fire scene, for purposes of recuperation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. go into rehab
  2. The assimilationists would have you believe that there is no lesbian or gay underclass, white or of color. That the junkies, crackheads and rummies in the drunk-tanks and welfare rehabs are all straight. Our addicts all have ample checkbooks, the best insurance their professions can buy, and membership in the right upscale cliques.

Etymology

Clipping of rehabilitation.

This word in other languages

rehabilitación(Español)désintox(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erhab
  • reahb
  • rehabb
  • rehba
  • rehhab
  • rheab
  • rrehab

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erhab2reahb2rehabb1rehba2rehhab1rheab2rrehab1
Edit distance from "rehab"

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 "rehab"?
"rehab" is spelled R-E-H-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹiːhæb/.
What does "rehab" mean?
As a noun, "rehab" means: Rehabilitation, especially to treat the use of recreational drugs.
What words are commonly confused with "rehab"?
"rehab" is commonly confused with "Reza", "relax", "relay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rehab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rehab" is /ˈɹiːhæb/. 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 "rehab"?
Clipping of rehabilitation. 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 "rehab", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

raven#9,805rails#9,804Rhode#9,814skins#9,817

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Megan7 variantsLopez7 variantsAllison7 variantsbuffer7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list