hands

\ˈhændz\

/\ˈhændz\/ noun

The verdict

“hands” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #35,080 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,080
frequency rank, French
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pluriel de hand.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hands vs has
60% similar
hands vs hard
60% similar
hands vs Hans
60% similar

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

Key facts for hands
PropertyValue
Headwordhands
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈhændz\
Letters5
Frequency rank#35,080
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hands” sits in French 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). hands 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 French entry for hands is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈhændz\. Corpus data places it at rank #35,080 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Pluriel de hand.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hands, with forms such as "ahnds", "hadns", and "handds". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "has", "hard", "Hans", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is hands, spelled H-A-N-D-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pluriel de hand.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahnds,hadns,handds,handss,hannds,hansd,hhands,hnads

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hands - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahnds2hadns2handds1handss1hannds1hansd2hhands1hnads2
Edit distance from "hands"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hands"?
"hands" is spelled H-A-N-D-S. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈhændz\.
What does "hands" mean?
As a noun, "hands" means: Pluriel de hand.
What words are commonly confused with "hands"?
"hands" is commonly confused with "has", "hard", "Hans". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hands"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hands" is \ˈhændz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hands" come from?
"hands" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “hands”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-A-N-D-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈhændz\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “has” - see the side-by-side comparison. hands vs has
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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