Grammar Tips & Articles »

height, heighth

This Grammar.com article is about height, heighth — enjoy your reading!


27 sec read
3,465 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

The proper spelling, of course, is height. Yet because many people improperly pronounce the word with an ending ‑th, you’ll sometimes see the word heighth. In the Richmond Times Dispatch, we see this error:

Second-seeded Syracuse had intermittent difficulties with No. 15 Coppin State’s zone defenses, but Syracuse’s heighth and strength won out. Quoted in Garner, Oxford, p. 168.

The mistake probably arose because of other “size and distance” words with ‑th endings: width, depth, and breadth. But whatever its origins, heighth does not enter the language of good writers and speakers.

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "height, heighth." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/height-heighth>.

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free Writing Tool:

    Instant
    Grammar Checker

    Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


    Quiz

    Are you a grammar master?

    »
    Choose the sentence with correct use of the present perfect continuous tense:
    A He is living in this city since 2010.
    B She has been studying for hours.
    C I have played the piano yesterday.
    D We have visited the museum last week.

    Improve your writing now:

    Download Grammar eBooks

    It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.