5-hydroxytryptamine

noun

"5-hydroxytryptamine" is a 17-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“5-hydroxytryptamine” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
19
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The neurotransmitter serotonin.

Key facts for 5-hydroxytryptamine
PropertyValue
Headword5-hydroxytryptamine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters19
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “5-hydroxytryptamine” sits in English frequency

5-hydroxytryptamine falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

5-hydroxytryptamine is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The neurotransmitter serotonin.".

Zero misspellings are on record for 5-hydroxytryptamine in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: It is a tryptamine with a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom that is numbered as 5. The correct English form is 5-hydroxytryptamine, spelled 5---H-Y-D-R-O-X-Y-T-R-Y-P-T-A-M-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The neurotransmitter serotonin.

Etymology

It is a tryptamine with a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom that is numbered as 5.

Synonyms

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

How do you spell "5-hydroxytryptamine"?
"5-hydroxytryptamine" is spelled 5---H-Y-D-R-O-X-Y-T-R-Y-P-T-A-M-I-N-E.
What does "5-hydroxytryptamine" mean?
As a noun, "5-hydroxytryptamine" means: The neurotransmitter serotonin.
What is the origin of the word "5-hydroxytryptamine"?
It is a tryptamine with a hydroxyl group attached to the carbon atom that is numbered as 5. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “5-hydroxytryptamine”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is 5---H-Y-D-R-O-X-Y-T-R-Y-P-T-A-M-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list