A Hangar Is Not a Hanger
A hangar houses aircraft. The spelling with an A is the building, and the one with an E holds your coat.
A hangar is a large building for housing aircraft. Its near-twin *hanger* holds clothes, and the two are unrelated: hangar came from French, where it meant a shed or shelter, while hanger comes from the English verb *hang*. Aviation borrowed the French word before aeroplanes existed, when hangars sheltered airships.
- An aircraft shed. *Roll it into the hangar.*
- Hanger — for clothes. *A coat hanger.*
- Hangar as a modifier. *Hangar doors.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hangar | An empty hangar. |
| Plural | hangars | Two hangars. |
| Confusable | hanger | A wire hanger. |
| Related | shed | A garden shed. |
| Related | aerodrome | A grass aerodrome. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The aircraft is in the hangar.Aviation, spelled with an A.
- Put it on a hanger.Clothing, spelled with an E.
- Hangar rash is minor damage in storage.Aviation slang.
Pairs one letter apart
- hangar / hanger — aircraft shed and coat hook
- stationary / stationery — not moving and writing materials
- principal / principle — chief and a rule
- complement / compliment — completing and praising
- desert / dessert — arid land and pudding
From French *hangar*, a shed, possibly from a Germanic compound meaning an enclosure for horses. English took it around 1850.
Hangar or hanger?
Hangar with an A houses aircraft. Hanger with an E holds clothes. They are unrelated words.
What is stationery versus stationary?
Stationery with an E is writing materials; stationary with an A means not moving. Remember E for envelopes.