hallucination

/həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/

//həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hallucination" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hallucination” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,265 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,265
frequency rank, English
13
letters
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sensory perception of something that does not exist, often arising from disorder of the nervous system, as in delirium tremens.

Key facts for hallucination
PropertyValue
Headwordhallucination
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#33,265
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hallucination” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hallucination lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hallucination is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,265 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for hallucination, with forms such as "ahllucination", "hallcuination", and "halluccination". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derives from the verb hallucinate, from Latin hallucinatus. Compare French hallucination. The first known usage in the English language is from Sir Thomas Browne. The correct English form is hallucination, spelled H-A-L-L-U-C-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sensory perception of something that does not exist, often arising from disorder of the nervous system, as in delirium tremens.
  2. 2
    The act of hallucinating; a wandering of the mind; an error, mistake or blunder.
  3. 3
    A confident but incorrect response given by an artificial intelligence; a confabulation.

Etymology

Derives from the verb hallucinate, from Latin hallucinatus. Compare French hallucination. The first known usage in the English language is from Sir Thomas Browne.

This word in other languages

alucinación(Español)hallucination(Français)Halluzination(Deutsch)alucinação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahllucination,hallcuination,halluccination,halluciantion,hallucinaiton,hallucinasion,hallucinatino,hallucinationn,hallucinatoin,hallucinattion,hallucinnation,hallucintaion,hallucniation,halluicnation,halucination,halulcination,hhallucination,hlalucination

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hallucination - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahllucination2hallcuination2halluccination1halluciantion2hallucinaiton2hallucinasion1hallucinatino2hallucinationn1
Edit distance from "hallucination"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hallucination"?
"hallucination" is spelled H-A-L-L-U-C-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/.
What does "hallucination" mean?
As a noun, "hallucination" means: A sensory perception of something that does not exist, often arising from disorder of the nervous system, as in delirium tremens.
What are common misspellings of "hallucination"?
Common misspellings include "ahllucination", "hallcuination", "halluccination", "halluciantion", "hallucinaiton". The correct spelling is "hallucination".
How do you pronounce "hallucination"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hallucination" is /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/. 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 "hallucination"?
Derives from the verb hallucinate, from Latin hallucinatus. Compare French hallucination. The first known usage in the English language is from Sir Thomas Browne. 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 “hallucination”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-L-L-U-C-I-N-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list