Hippopotamus
[hɪpoˈpoːtamʊs]
The verdict
“Hippopotamus” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (gesellig in und an stehenden und langsam fließenden Binnengewässern des subsaharischen Afrikas lebendes) pflanzenfressendes, nicht wiederkäuendes, zu den Paarhufern und Dickhäutern gehörendes, bra...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Hippopotamus |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [hɪpoˈpoːtamʊs] |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Hippopotamus” sits in German frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Hippopotamus is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [hɪpoˈpoːtamʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "(gesellig in und an stehenden und langsam fließenden Binnengewässern des subsaharischen Afrikas lebendes) pflanzenfressendes, nicht wiederkäuendes, zu den Paarhufern und Dickhäutern gehörendes, bra...".
Zero misspellings are on record for Hippopotamus in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Hippopotamus, spelled H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-U-S.
Definition
- 1(gesellig in und an stehenden und langsam fließenden Binnengewässern des subsaharischen Afrikas lebendes) pflanzenfressendes, nicht wiederkäuendes, zu den Paarhufern und Dickhäutern gehörendes, braunhäutiges Säugetier mit nahezu haarlosem und massigem, plumpem Körper, kurzen, stämmigen Beinen mit Schwimmhäuten an deren Zehen, breitem Kopf mit kleinen Augen und Ohren und einem riesigen Maul mit langen, hauerartigen Eckzähnen (Hippopotamus amphibius)
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “Hippopotamus”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [hɪpoˈpoːtamʊs] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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.