hibernation
/ˌhaɪ.bəɹˈneɪ.ʃən/noun
hibernation is spelled H-I-B-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hibernation means “A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hibernation is hibernations.
How many letters and syllables are in hibernation?
| Letters | 11: H-I-B-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 hibernation?
Hibernation appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th 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 hibernation?
- UK /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/
- UK [ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃn̩]
- US /ˌhaɪ.bəɹˈneɪ.ʃən/
Hibernation has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-hibernation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with hibernation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as hibernation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
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 hibernation
- hibernations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hibernation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.
The bears are in hibernation.
- 2
A hypothetical state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in humans during long space flights.
- 3
A 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hibernation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hibernation |
| German | Winterschlaf, Hibernation , Ruhezustand |
| Portuguese | hibernação |
| Spanish | hibernación, aletargamiento, sueño invernal |
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 hibernation come from?
From Latin hībernātus, from hībernō, from hībernus (“wintry, of or pertaining to winter”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).