spearhead

/ˈspɪə.hɛd/

//ˈspɪə.hɛd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“spearhead” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,951. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,951
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The pointed head, or end, of a spear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spearhead · spearhead · English

spearhead · rank #35,951 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,951
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spasm

Nearest frequency peer: spasm (-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 “spearhead”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “spearhead” 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
Key facts for spearhead
PropertyValue
Headwordspearhead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspɪə.hɛd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#35,951
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “spearhead”

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).spearheadlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “spasm” (#35,950), “specialise” (#35,952), “Spartacus” (#35,949). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “spearhead” is #35,951. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around spearhead (IPA /ˈspɪə.hɛd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,951 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for spearhead, with forms such as "psearhead", "separhead", and "spaerhead". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head. The correct English form is spearhead, spelled S-P-E-A-R-H-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The pointed head, or end, of a spear.
  2. 2
    One who leads or initiates an activity (such as an attack or a campaign).
  3. 3
    The leading military unit in an attack.
  4. 4
    A player who initiates attacking moves.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.[…]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
  2. Spearheads of the NER bargain fares attack this year have been the introduction of weekend fares at a 7s 6d in the £ discount on ordinary rates between principal stations throughout the Region—[...].

Etymology

From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head.

This word in other languages

punta(Español)fer de lance(Français)Speerspitze(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • psearhead
  • separhead
  • spaerhead
  • speahread
  • spearehad
  • spearhaed
  • spearheadd
  • spearheda
  • spearhhead
  • spearrhead
  • sperahead
  • sppearhead
  • sspearhead

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

psearhead2separhead2spaerhead2speahread2spearehad2spearhaed2spearheadd1spearheda2
Edit distance from "spearhead"

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 "spearhead"?
"spearhead" is spelled S-P-E-A-R-H-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspɪə.hɛd/.
What does "spearhead" mean?
As a noun, "spearhead" means: The pointed head, or end, of a spear.
What are common misspellings of "spearhead"?
Common misspellings include "psearhead", "separhead", "spaerhead", "speahread", "spearehad". The correct spelling is "spearhead".
How do you pronounce "spearhead"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spearhead" is /ˈspɪə.hɛd/. 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 "spearhead"?
From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head. 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 "spearhead", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Spartacus#35,949spacetime#35,948summarily#35,967swordsman#35,975

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Shandong13 variantssynapses13 variantsnormalcy13 variantsmargarine13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list