hibernation

/ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/

//ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"hibernation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hibernation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,580. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,580
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hibernation · hibernation · English

hibernation · rank #28,580 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,580
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hemsworth

Nearest frequency peer: Hemsworth (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hibernation”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hibernation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hibernation
PropertyValue
Headwordhibernation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#28,580
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hibernation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hibernationlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Hemsworth” (#28,579), “hindrance” (#28,581), “Heineken” (#28,578). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hibernation” is #28,580. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around hibernation (IPA /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,580 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.
  2. 2
    A hypothetical state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in humans during long space flights.
  3. 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The bears are in hibernation.
  2. The bears come out of hibernation in March.

Etymology

From Latin hibernātus, from hibernō, from hībernus (“winter”).

This word in other languages

hibernación(Español)hibernation(Français)Winterschlaf(Deutsch)

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.

hbiernation2hhibernation1hibbernation1hibenration2hiberantion2hibernaiton2hibernasion1hibernatino2
Edit distance from "hibernation"

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"?
"hibernation" is spelled H-I-B-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/.
What does "hibernation" mean?
As a noun, "hibernation" means: A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.
What are common misspellings of "hibernation"?
Common misspellings include "hbiernation", "hhibernation", "hibbernation", "hibenration", "hiberantion". The correct spelling is "hibernation".
How do you pronounce "hibernation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hibernation" is /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/. 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 "hibernation"?
From Latin hibernātus, from hibernō, from hībernus (“winter”). 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 "hibernation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pleistocene#28,672cannibalism#28,477candlelight#28,476restructure#28,695

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

intermission17 variantsdistillation17 variantsdegenerative17 variantsstakeholder17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list