anhedonic

/ænhiːˈdɒnɪk/

//ænhiːˈdɒnɪk// adj

"anhedonic" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anhedonic” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Showing anhedonia; having no capacity to feel pleasure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anhedonic · anhedonic · English

anhedonic · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for anhedonic
PropertyValue
Headwordanhedonic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ænhiːˈdɒnɪk/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “anhedonic” in English

anhedonicsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

anhedonic is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ænhiːˈdɒnɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Showing anhedonia; having no capacity to feel pleasure.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for anhedonic, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From anhedon(ia) + -ic. The correct English form is anhedonic, spelled A-N-H-E-D-O-N-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Showing anhedonia; having no capacity to feel pleasure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how anhedonic appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Briefly, the anhedonic syndrome is manifested, first, by the disappearance or impairment of the appetite for food and drink and by failure to experience the corresponding satisfactions. [...] Thirdly, the appetite or desire for rest and the satisfaction of recuperation are also involved in the anhedonic syndrome.
  2. The anhedonic depressed child creates special problems. He or she is bored most of the time, as he or she does not derive normal levels of pleasure from things, and the breadth of pleasurable events is rduced. The anhedonic youngster seems just to go through the motions of treatment.

Etymology

From anhedon(ia) + -ic.

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 "anhedonic"?
"anhedonic" is spelled A-N-H-E-D-O-N-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ænhiːˈdɒnɪk/.
What does "anhedonic" mean?
As an adjective, "anhedonic" means: Showing anhedonia; having no capacity to feel pleasure.
How do you pronounce "anhedonic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anhedonic" is /ænhiːˈdɒnɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "anhedonic"?
From anhedon(ia) + -ic. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list