hermaphrodite

/hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt/

//hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hermaphrodite” is uncommon English (frequency #54,231 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,231
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person possessing ambiguous sexual organs or characteristics.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hermaphrodite · hermaphrodite · English

hermaphrodite · rank #54,231 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,231
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heritable

Nearest frequency peer: heritable (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “hermaphrodite”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hermaphrodite” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hermaphrodite
PropertyValue
Headwordhermaphrodite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt/
Letters13
Frequency rank#54,231
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hermaphrodite” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).hermaphroditefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “heritable” (#54,230), “HFC” (#54,233), “hematite” (#54,228). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hermaphrodite” is #54,231. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hermaphrodite is uncommon English at frequency #54,231 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

hermaphrodite doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hermaphroditus, the mythical son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who merged bodies with a naiad, thereafter having both male and female qualities. The correct English form is hermaphrodite, spelled H-E-R-M-A-P-H-R-O-D-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person possessing ambiguous sexual organs or characteristics.
  2. 2
    Cosexual: an organism possessing both types of gonads; a flower possessing both stamens and pistils.
  3. 3
    Dichogamous: an organism which begins its life as one sex and changes its sex over its life cycle.
  4. 4
    A person or thing possessing two opposing qualities.
  5. 5
    A hermaphrodite brig.
  6. 6
    A farm wagon convertible to multiple purposes.
  7. 7
    An armoured fighting vehicle having features of both male tanks and female tanks.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An earthworm is a hermaphrodite.
  2. Comb jellies are sequential hermaphrodites.

Etymology

From Hermaphroditus, the mythical son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who merged bodies with a naiad, thereafter having both male and female qualities.

Synonyms

maphroditemorphoditemophroditeandrogynegynandromorphdichogamouscosexualintersex

This word in other languages

hermafrodita(Español)hermaphrodite(Français)Zwitter(Deutsch)hermafrodita(Português)

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 "hermaphrodite"?
"hermaphrodite" is spelled H-E-R-M-A-P-H-R-O-D-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt/.
What does "hermaphrodite" mean?
As a noun, "hermaphrodite" means: A person possessing ambiguous sexual organs or characteristics.
How do you pronounce "hermaphrodite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hermaphrodite" is /hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt/. 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 "hermaphrodite"?
From Hermaphroditus, the mythical son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who merged bodies with a naiad, thereafter having both male and female qualities. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hermaphrodite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

geometrically#54,199apportionment#54,014unintelligent#53,934telemarketing#53,905

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list