hibernation
/ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/
"hibernation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hibernation” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,580 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,580
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hibernation |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #28,580 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hibernation” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hibernation is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,580 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 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for hibernation, with forms such as "hbiernation", "hhibernation", and "hibbernation". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin hibernātus, from hibernō, from hībernus (“winter”). The correct English form is hibernation, spelled H-I-B-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.
- 2A hypothetical state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in humans during long space flights.
- 3A standby state which conserves power by writing the contents of the memory to disk and completely power off the computer, in order that one will resume the session from the disk.
Etymology
From Latin hibernātus, from hibernō, from hībernus (“winter”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: hbiernation,hhibernation,hibbernation,hibenration,hiberantion,hibernaiton,hibernasion,hibernatino,hibernationn,hibernatoin,hibernattion,hibernnation,hiberntaion,hiberrnation,hibrenation,hiebrnation,ihbernation
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hibernation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "hibernation"?
What does "hibernation" mean?
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Using “hibernation”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-I-B-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/ (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.