hangover
hang·o·ver/ˈhæŋoʊ̯vɚ/ ~ /ˈhæŋɔʊ̯vɚ/noun
hangover is spelled H-A-N-G-O-V-E-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables (hang·o·ver). It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hangover means “Negative effects, such as headache or nausea, caused by previous drunkenness due to (excessive) consumption of alcohol” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hangover is hangovers.
How many letters and syllables are in hangover?
| Letters | 8: H-A-N-G-O-V-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: hang·o·ver |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is hangover?
Hangover appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hangover?
- UK /ˈhæŋəʊ̯vəː/ ~ /ˈhæŋɵ̞ʊ̯vəː/
- Australia /ˈhæŋəʉ̯vəː/ ~ /ˈhæŋɐʉ̯vəː/
- US /ˈhæŋoʊ̯vɚ/ ~ /ˈhæŋɔʊ̯vɚ/
Hangover has 3 syllables, split hang·o·ver in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hangover.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with hangover
Also written: hang-over (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with hangover?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as hangover.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: overhang.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of hangover
- hangovers plural
- hang-over
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hangover mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Negative effects, such as headache or nausea, caused by previous drunkenness due to (excessive) consumption of alcohol.
I really enjoyed yesterday’s party, but now I have the biggest hangover – I’ll not be doing that again any time soon.
- 2
Similar negative effects caused by previous excessive consumption of another substance, such as a drug, coffee, sugar, etc.
- 3
An unpleasant relic left from prior events.
- 4
A sleeping arrangement, usually in homeless shelters, over a rope.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hangover in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gueule de bois |
| German | Kater, Katzenjammer , Überbleibsel |
| Portuguese | ressaca |
| Spanish | resaca, caña, chaqui, chuchaqui, cruda, goma |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hangover come from?
American English; hang + over. First sense was first attested in 1904. Third sense was first attested in 1894.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).