Hermitian

/hɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪʃən/

//hɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪʃən// adj

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

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

The verdict

“Hermitian” is uncommon English (frequency #85,341 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,341
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Equal to its own transpose conjugate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hermitian · Hermitian · English

Hermitian · rank #85,341 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,341
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hendra

Nearest frequency peer: Hendra (-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 “Hermitian”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Hermitian
PropertyValue
HeadwordHermitian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/hɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,341
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Hermitian” 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).Hermitianfalls 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: “Hendra” (#85,340), “hellion” (#85,338), “Heimdall” (#85,337). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “Hermitian” is #85,341. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Hermitian is uncommon English at frequency #85,341 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /hɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Equal to its own transpose conjugate.".

No misspelling variants are generated for Hermitian in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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: After the French mathematician Charles Hermite (1822–1901), + -ian. The correct English form is Hermitian, spelled H-E-R-M-I-T-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Equal to its own transpose conjugate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. If φ=φ^† then φ is Hermitian.

Etymology

After the French mathematician Charles Hermite (1822–1901), + -ian.

This word in other languages

hermitien(Français)hermitesch(Deutsch)

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 "Hermitian"?
"Hermitian" is spelled H-E-R-M-I-T-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /hɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪʃən/.
What does "Hermitian" mean?
As an adjective, "Hermitian" means: Equal to its own transpose conjugate.
How do you pronounce "Hermitian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Hermitian" is /hɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪʃən/. 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 "Hermitian"?
After the French mathematician Charles Hermite (1822–1901), + -ian. 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 "Hermitian", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

invidious#85,376greenhorn#85,305Jagannath#85,384Gaziantep#85,286

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list