Hawaï

\a.waj\

/\a.waj\/ name

The verdict

“Hawaï” has 6 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #16,900. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,900
frequency rank, French
109,908
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Grande île de l’océan Pacifique Nord.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Hawaï vs hawk
40% similar
Hawaï vs hawks
40% similar
Hawaï vs Huawei
50% similar

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

Key facts for Hawaï
PropertyValue
HeadwordHawaï
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\a.waj\
Letters5
Frequency rank#16,900
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Hawaï” 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). Hawaï lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around Hawaï (IPA \a.waj\), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #16,900 among 109,908 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Hawaï, with forms such as "ahwaï", "haawï", and "hawwaï". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hawk", "hawks", "Huawei", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is Hawaï, spelled H-A-W-A-Ï.

Definition

  1. 1
    Grande île de l’océan Pacifique Nord.
  2. 2
    Archipel de l’océan Pacifique Nord, constitué de huit grandes îles (dont Hawaï, plus grande que toutes les autres réunies) et de nombreuses autres plus petites.
  3. 3
    Un des cinquante États des États-Unis d’Amérique, de code postal HI, dont le territoire correspond à l’archipel (à l’exception des îles Midway), et dont la capitale est Honolulu.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahwaï,haawï,hawwaï,hawïa,hhawaï,hwaaï

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Hawaï - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahwaï2haawï2hawwaï1hawïa2hhawaï1hwaaï2
Edit distance from "Hawaï"

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 "Hawaï"?
"Hawaï" is spelled H-A-W-A-Ï. The IPA pronunciation is \a.waj\.
What does "Hawaï" mean?
As a proper noun, "Hawaï" means: Grande île de l’océan Pacifique Nord.
What words are commonly confused with "Hawaï"?
"Hawaï" is commonly confused with "hawk", "hawks", "Huawei". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Hawaï"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hawaï" is \a.waj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Hawaï" come from?
"Hawaï" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “Hawaï”

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

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

Same frequency band

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