# hysteria vs hysterical

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### hysteria
*noun · IPA /hɪˈstɛɹiə/ · frequency rank #17,635*
Behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotions, in a wide range from joy to panic but usually including anxiety or fear.

### hysterical
*adjective · IPA /hɪˈstɛɹɪkəl/ · frequency rank #15,427*
Of, or arising from hysteria.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hysteria-vs-hysterical