herd

\hɜːd\

/\hɜːd\/ noun

The verdict

“herd” is uncommon French (frequency #91,778 among 109,908 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,778
frequency rank, French
109,908
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Collection, ensemble, troupe, bande.

Key facts for herd
PropertyValue
Headwordherd
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\hɜːd\
Letters4
Frequency rank#91,778
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “herd” 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). herd lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

herd is uncommon French at frequency #91,778 among 109,908 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \hɜːd\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

herd has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is herd, spelled H-E-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Collection, ensemble, troupe, bande.
  2. 2
    Troupeau.

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 "herd"?
"herd" is spelled H-E-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is \hɜːd\.
What does "herd" mean?
As a noun, "herd" means: Collection, ensemble, troupe, bande.
How do you pronounce "herd"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "herd" is \hɜːd\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "herd" come from?
"herd" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “herd”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-E-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \hɜːd\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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