windhover
"windhover" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“windhover” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | windhover |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “windhover” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
windhover is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).".
windhover has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From wind + hover, due to the bird’s habit of hovering by beating the wind with its wings; compare windfucker (attested earlier). The correct English form is windhover, spelled W-I-N-D-H-O-V-E-R.
Definition
- 1The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
Etymology
From wind + hover, due to the bird’s habit of hovering by beating the wind with its wings; compare windfucker (attested earlier).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “windhover”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-I-N-D-H-O-V-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.