dipsomania

/ˌdɪpsə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə/

//ˌdɪpsə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə// noun

"dipsomania" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Addiction to alcohol.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dipsomania · dipsomania · English

dipsomania · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" 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 dipsomania
PropertyValue
Headworddipsomania
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɪpsə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dipsomania” in English

dipsomaniaranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

dipsomania is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdɪpsə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

dipsomania has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dipso- (“thirst; drinking”) + -mania. The correct English form is dipsomania, spelled D-I-P-S-O-M-A-N-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Addiction to alcohol.
  2. 2
    Specifically periodic alcoholism, characterized by bouts of heavy drinking rather than continuous indulgence in alcohol.
  3. 3
    A strong craving for something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A most ingenuous youth was Master Snape, round-eyed, round-cheeked, with an ever ready smooth and round unvarnished tale—a youth afflicted with a dipsomania for information.
  2. "You must regard my passion for painting," he began once more, "as a sort of dipsomania—I really can't help myself."

Etymology

From dipso- (“thirst; drinking”) + -mania.

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

How do you spell "dipsomania"?
"dipsomania" is spelled D-I-P-S-O-M-A-N-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɪpsə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə/.
What does "dipsomania" mean?
As a noun, "dipsomania" means: Addiction to alcohol.
How do you pronounce "dipsomania"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dipsomania" is /ˌdɪpsə(ʊ)ˈmeɪnɪə/. 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 "dipsomania"?
From dipso- (“thirst; drinking”) + -mania. 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